AI-Driven Models for Diagnosing and Predicting Outcomes in Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This research explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the early detection of lung cancer. Through a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis, this study evaluates the effectiveness of AI models, emphasizing a promising avenue for improving diagnostic accuracy. Among 1024 identified records, 39 studies were meticulously selected and analyzed following the PRISMA guidelines. The findings highlight significant strides in AI’s role, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols. Despite the observed heterogeneity, this study underscores AI’s promising impact on lung cancer screening, laying the groundwork for future advancements in clinical practice. This research contributes crucial insights for healthcare professionals and researchers alike, aiming to enhance the early diagnosis and management of lung cancer. (1) Background: Lung cancer’s high mortality due to late diagnosis highlights a need for early detection strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, particularly for lung cancer, offers promise by analyzing medical data for early identification and personalized treatment. This systematic review evaluates AI’s performance in early lung cancer detection, analyzing its techniques, strengths, limitations, and comparative edge over traditional methods. (2) Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the PRISMA guidelines rigorously, outlining a comprehensive protocol and employing tailored search strategies across diverse databases. Two reviewers independently screened studies based on predefined criteria, ensuring the selection of high-quality data relevant to AI’s role in lung cancer detection. The extraction of key study details and performance metrics, followed by quality assessment, facilitated a robust analysis using R software (Version 4.3.0). The process, depicted via a PRISMA flow diagram, allowed for the meticulous evaluation and synthesis of the findings in this review. (3) Results: From 1024 records, 39 studies met the inclusion criteria, showcasing diverse AI model applications for lung cancer detection, emphasizing varying strengths among the studies. These findings underscore AI’s potential for early lung cancer diagnosis but highlight the need for standardization amidst study variations. The results demonstrate promising pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.87, signifying AI’s accuracy in identifying true positives and negatives, despite the observed heterogeneity attri