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The Application of Large Language Models in Gastroenterology: A Review of the Literature
by
Marcello Maida
Marcello Maida
Professor Marcello Maida is an Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the Department of Medicine [...]
Professor Marcello Maida is an Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Kore University of Enna, Italy. He is also member of the steering committee of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE) and member of the Guidelines Committee of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE). His research interests include several areas of gastroenterology, including endoscopy, gastrointestinal cancers, and liver diseases. He has authored more than one hundred scientific papers published in impact factor journals (indexed on PubMed and Scopus) and is an editorial board member of many journals focused on gastroenterology.
1,2,*,
Ciro Celsa
Ciro Celsa 3,4,
Louis H. S. Lau
Dr. Lau graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in 2012. He the [...]
Dr. Lau graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in 2012. He joined the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Prince of Wales Hospital after graduation. He obtained his specialist registration in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2019. He is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, since 2021. Dr. Lau has special research interests in gastrointestinal bleeding, advanced endoscopy, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence with high-impact publications in The New England Journal of Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Gut. He was nominated as a Distinguished Young Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. He received the Gold Medal of Best Thesis Award and the Distinguished Research Paper Award from the Hong Kong College of Physicians. Dr. Lau is recognized as an advanced endoscopist specialized in third-space endoscopy. He is a faculty member of the ANBIIG (Asian Novel Bio-Imaging and Intervention Group) and nominated as an Emerging Star of the World Endoscopy Organization in 2022. He received the National Scholar Award from United European Gastroenterology Week and the Research Programme Award from the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology.
5,6,
Dario Ligresti
Dario Ligresti
Dr. Dario Ligresti works as an attending physician at IRCCS-ISMETT (Mediterranean Institute for and [...]
Dr. Dario Ligresti works as an attending physician at IRCCS-ISMETT (Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies) in Palermo, Italy. He graduated in 2009 and completed his residency program in general surgery and interventional endoscopy. His main clinical and research field of interest is pancreatobiliary and therapeutic endoscopy. In 2018, he was selected as a participant of the first edition of the WISE (WEO International School of EUS) in Seoul (South Korea), under the direction of Professor Dong-Wan Seo, enhancing his skills in interventional EUS. In 2023–24, he was awarded as a "WEO Emerging Star" by the World Endoscopy Organization after the completion of an international educational leadership training program.
7,
Stefano Baraldo
Stefano Baraldo 8,
Daryl Ramai
Daryl Ramai 9,
Gabriele Di Maria
Gabriele Di Maria 3,
Marco Cannemi
Marco Cannemi 10,
Antonio Facciorusso
Antonio Facciorusso 11 and
Calogero Cammà
Calogero Cammà 3
1
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna ‘Kore’, 94100 Enna, Italy
2
Gastroenterology Unit, Umberto I Hospital, 94100 Enna, Italy
3
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Department of Health Promotion, Mother & Child Care, Internal Medicine & Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
4
Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
5
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
6
Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
7
Digestive Endoscopy Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, IRCCS—ISMETT, 90127 Palermo, Italy
8
Department of Endoscopy, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos 14784-400, Brazil
9
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
10
Independent Researcher, 93100 Caltanissetta, Italy
11
Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3328; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193328 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 30 August 2024
/
Revised: 22 September 2024
/
Accepted: 25 September 2024
/
Published: 28 September 2024
Simple Summary
Large language models (LLMs) are revolutionizing the field of medicine, particularly in Gastroenterology, by improving access to information, diagnostics, treatment customization, and medical education. They analyze extensive medical data to enhance decision-making, patient outcomes, and educational tasks. While LLMs face challenges such as incomplete data, varying response accuracy, and reliance on specific input wording, they have shown promising results. However, their full integration into medical practice requires further research and regulation. Moreover, the successful integration of LLMs into medical practice necessitates customization to specific medical contexts and adherence to guidelines. This review focuses on the current evidence supporting the use of LLMs in Gastroenterology, emphasizing their potential and limitations.
Abstract
Large language models (LLMs) are transforming the medical landscape by enhancing access to information, diagnostics, treatment customization, and medical education, especially in areas like Gastroenterology. LLMs utilize extensive medical data to improve decision-making, leading to better patient outcomes and personalized medicine. These models are instrumental in interpreting medical literature and synthesizing patient data, facilitating real-time knowledge for physicians and supporting educational pursuits in medicine. Despite their potential, the complete integration of LLMs in real-life remains ongoing, particularly requiring further study and regulation. This review highlights the existing evidence supporting LLMs’ use in Gastroenterology, addressing both their potential and limitations. Recent studies demonstrate LLMs’ ability to answer questions from physicians and patients accurately. Specific applications in this field, such as colonoscopy, screening for colorectal cancer, and hepatobiliary and inflammatory bowel diseases, underscore LLMs’ promise in improving the communication and understanding of complex medical scenarios. Moreover, the review discusses LLMs’ efficacy in clinical contexts, providing guideline-based recommendations and supporting decision-making processes. Despite these advancements, challenges such as data completeness, reference suitability, variability in response accuracy, dependency on input phrasing, and a lack of patient-generated questions underscore limitations in reproducibility and generalizability. The effective integration of LLMs into medical practice demands refinement tailored to specific medical contexts and guidelines. Overall, while LLMs hold significant potential in transforming medical practice, ongoing development and contextual training are essential to fully realize their benefits.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Maida, M.; Celsa, C.; Lau, L.H.S.; Ligresti, D.; Baraldo, S.; Ramai, D.; Di Maria, G.; Cannemi, M.; Facciorusso, A.; Cammà, C.
The Application of Large Language Models in Gastroenterology: A Review of the Literature. Cancers 2024, 16, 3328.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193328
AMA Style
Maida M, Celsa C, Lau LHS, Ligresti D, Baraldo S, Ramai D, Di Maria G, Cannemi M, Facciorusso A, Cammà C.
The Application of Large Language Models in Gastroenterology: A Review of the Literature. Cancers. 2024; 16(19):3328.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193328
Chicago/Turabian Style
Maida, Marcello, Ciro Celsa, Louis H. S. Lau, Dario Ligresti, Stefano Baraldo, Daryl Ramai, Gabriele Di Maria, Marco Cannemi, Antonio Facciorusso, and Calogero Cammà.
2024. "The Application of Large Language Models in Gastroenterology: A Review of the Literature" Cancers 16, no. 19: 3328.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193328
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