An Open Multi-Center Whole-Body FDG PET/CT Foundation Model for Tumor Segmentation
Researchers have developed an open-source foundation model for segmenting tumors in FDG PET/CT scans, integrating anatomical and metabolic data from the outset. This model, trained on nearly 5,000 harmonized scans from multiple public datasets, demonstrates significant label efficiency, achieving comparable performance to full-dataset models with only 10% of the labeled data. The framework utilizes a hierarchical UNet backbone with early channel-wise concatenation and a masked autoencoding objective, offering a robust basis for advancing automated oncologic imaging and reducing annotation needs. AI
IMPACT This model could significantly reduce the need for manual annotations in clinical practice, accelerating the development and deployment of AI in oncologic imaging.