📢 The LEOPARD challenge has completed. Participants of the LEOPARD challenge, as well as all non-participating researchers using the LEOPARD public training dataset, must adhere to the publication embargo period and can publish their own results, separately only after the completion of the embargo period (after the publication of the LEOPARD challenge journal paper and the publicatication of the LEOPARD challenge baseline journal paper). While doing so, they are requested to cite the challenge publication.
Clinical Background 🏥
Prostate cancer, impacting 1.4 million men annually, is a prevalent malignancy (H. Sung et al., 2021). A substantial number of these individuals undergo prostatectomy as the primary curative treatment. The efficacy of this surgery is assessed, in part, by monitoring the concentration of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the bloodstream. While the role of PSA in prostate cancer screening is debatable (W. F. Clark et al., 2018; E. A. M. Heijnsdijk et al., 2018), it serves as a valuable biomarker for postprostatectomy follow-up in patients. Following successful surgery, PSA concentration is typically undetectable (<0.1 ng/mL) within 4-6 weeks (S. S. Goonewardene et al., 2014). However, approximately 30% of patients experience biochemical recurrence, signifying the resurgence of prostate cancer cells. This recurrence serves as a prognostic indicator for progression to clinical metastases and eventual prostate cancer-related mortality (C.L. Amling, 2014; S. J. Freedland et al., 2005; M. Han et al., 2001; T. Van den Broeck et al., 2001).
The Gleason growth patterns, representing morphological patterns of prostate cancer, are used to categorize cancerous tissue into ISUP grade groups (J. I. Epstein, 2010; P. M. Pierorazio et al., 2013; G. J. L. H. van Leenders et al., 2020; J. I. Epstein et al., 2016). However, the ISUP grade has limitations, such as grading disagreement among pathologists (J. I. Epstein et al., 2016) and coarse descriptors of tissue morphology.
The LEOPARD Challenge👨⚕️👩💻