OMM Newsroom
US researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict cancer patients’ survival chances from a single facial photograph, according to a study published Monday in “The Lancet Digital Health,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Developed by researchers at “Mass General Brigham” in Massachusetts, the system, called “FAHR-Face,” analyzes facial features to estimate biological age and mortality risk, and could help doctors make treatment decisions.
The model was trained on more than 40 million facial photographs and adapted into two tools: “FAHR-FaceAge,” which estimates biological age, and “FAHR-FaceSurvival,” which predicts cancer patients’ survival directly from facial images without relying on age estimates.
Researchers found that the survival model focused mainly on areas beneath the eyes and around the nose, while the age-estimation model examined features around the mouth and temples. They said this suggests the two systems identify different health-related patterns.
The survival model was trained on images of 34,363 patients and tested on another 3,820. Its results were independently validated using data from 4,892 cancer patients in the Netherlands.
Patients classified in the highest-risk group had more than three times the mortality risk of those in the lowest-risk group, even after clinical factors were taken into account.
Patients whose faces appeared at least five years older than their actual age had a 21% higher mortality risk, while those who appeared at least five years younger had a 17% lower risk.
Combining the two models further improved the accuracy of survival predictions, the study said.
Researchers said the technology could help doctors assess patients’ health and guide treatment decisions, but further validation is needed before it can be widely used in clinical practice.
