WSK Medical and Alessandro Villa join forces to develop an Artificial Intelligence solution for the detection and classification of oral cavity lesions and cancer
Amsterdam/Miami, the Netherlands/United States – WSK Medical, a leading AI software solutions provider for oncology care, and Alessandro Villa, an oral medicine specialist and expert in oral precancers, are excited to announce that they’ve joined forces to further enhance Zeno AI, the first AI solution on the market for the real-time detection of laryngeal cancer and expand Zeno AI’s functionalities towards the oral cavity and lip.
They’ve started a new project to develop and validate an AI solution for the detection and classification of oral lesions which – after successful results – will be further enhanced, validated, and added to Zeno AI, making it another great step towards becoming a fully equipped AI solution for head and neck cancer detection and classification. This AI solution aims to assist dental professionals in early diagnosis and differentiation between benign, premalignant and malignant oral lesions during routine check-ups.
Anatomic sites of the oral cavity. Taken from “Cancer of the Oral Cavity”, Pablog H Montero and Snehal G Patel, 2015, Surgical Oncol Clin N Am, 2015.
“We are so excited to collaborate with Dr. Villa to enhance oral precancers and cancer detection and classification using AI. We see so much value in adding new features to Zeno AI to encompass the entire head and neck region and ensure early detection, ideally from primary screening. This development is another step in the right direction for us”, says Marius Wellenstein, CEO of WSK Medical.
” Zeno AI is a groundbreaking technology with immense potential, particularly for the early detection of oral precancer and cancer in regions where specialized care is limited. By enhancing early diagnosis capabilities, Zeno AI helps bridge healthcare access gaps and significantly improves patient outcomes”, says Dr. Villa.
Oral cavity lesions, including potentially malignant disorders and oral cancers, pose significant health risks to patients. Within the oral cavity, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of cancer, representing 90% of all intraoral malignancies. In 2022, there were approximately 389,000 new cases of lip and oral cavity cancers worldwide (Bray, 2024). Although OSCC patients with localized disease have survival rates of up to 80%, about two-thirds present clinically with regional and distant metastases corresponding to five-year survival rates of 38% (distant disease) and 70% (regional disease) in the US[1]. Several OSCCs are thought to arise from oral precancerous lesions such as leukoplakia and erythroplakia (Montero & Patel, 2015). Early detection and correct diagnosis are therefore crucial for improving patient outcomes. Dental professionals and family physicians often play a key role as they are typically the first to detect such lesions. However, lack of access to specialized care and insufficient training may delay diagnosis. An AI model capable of accurately detecting and classifying oral lesions could enhance diagnostic accuracy and consistency as well as speed up diagnosis, thereby improving patient care.
About WSK Medical
WSK Medical develops Artificial Intelligence software solutions for the detection and classification of cancer. Our aim is to bring you the most advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies to assist Clinicians and Doctors. We do this by working in partnership, to develop sophisticated AI systems. For more information about our AI solutions, please contact us.
About Alessandro Villa
Alessandro Villa is the President of Oral Medicine Associates PA and serves as the Chief of Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology and Dentistry at Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida.
