Deep learning-based cervical lesion segmentation in colposcopic images

Abstract

Artificial intelligence assisted cancer detection has changed the ream of diagnosis precision. This study aims to propose a segmentation network using artificial intelligence for accurately segmenting the cervix region and acetowhite lesions in cervigram images, addressing the shortage of skilled colposcopists and streamlining the training process. A computational approach is employed to develop and train a deep learning model specifically tailored for cervix region and acetowhite lesion segmentation in cervigram images. A dataset acquired in collaboration with KIDWAI memorial cancer research institute is used for building the model. Cervigram images are collected for training and validation, and a deep learning architecture is constructed and trained using annotated datasets. The segmentation network  based on efficientnet architecture and atrous spatial pyramid pooling is designed to accurately identify and delineate the target regions, with performance evaluation conducted using precision, accuracy, recall, dice score, and specificity metrics. The proposed segmentation network achieves a precision of 0.7387±0.1541, accuracy of 0.9291, recall of 0.7912±0.1439, dice score of 0.7431±0.1506, and specificity of 0.9589±0.0131, indicating its reliability and robustness in segmenting cervix regions and acetowhite lesions in cervigram images. This research demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of using artificial intelligence-based computational models for cervix region and acetowhite lesion segmentation in cervigram images. It provides a foundation for further investigations into classifying cervix malignancy using AI techniques, potentially enhancing early detection and treatment of cervical cancer while addressing the shortage of skilled professionals in the field