MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is the first in the state to receive five GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy modules as part of the Medtronic Health Equity Assistance Program for colorectal cancer screening.

The Program, which launched in February 2022 with support from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Amazon Web Services, uses artificial intelligence (AI) in the detection of colorectal polyps, an indicator of colorectal cancer.

The module uses advanced AI software to highlight suspicious polyps with a visual marker in real time with a sensitivity rate per lesion of 99.7 percent. Studies have shown that AI-assisted colonoscopy can increase polyp detection rates, and every 1 percent increase in adenoma detection rate reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 3 percent.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer diagnosed in the U.S., with almost 150,000 new cases every year.

“More than 1,000 West Virginians are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year,” Shyam Thakkar, M.D., WVU Medicine advanced therapeutic endoscopy director, said. “This new technology will allow us to detect more precancerous polyps and prevent colon cancer from happening, leading to better patient outcomes.”