Mar 04, 2026
3 min read
Doctors who use AI are considered superior to medical staff who do not use it.
, Jakarta - It is believed that the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector will not replace the role of doctors.However, doctors who use artificial intelligence will be better than those who do not.
"I see that AI will not replace doctors, but doctors who do not use AI will definitely lose to doctors who use AI. This AI will evolve (continue to evolve) and become smarter," said Jeffry Beta Tenggara, internist, hematology, medical oncology subspecialist.(25.02.2026).
A doctor who takes care of patients at MRCCC Siloam Semanggi Hospital added that AI can work 24 hours and the doctors need rest and other rest periods.
"AI can be our server to help us do a quick and accurate screening. So sometimes the doctor's eyes are tired of looking at a microscope that's all red. With AI, it's faster to know which points to report compared to scanning with our own eyes," Jeffrey said.
The use of AI technology for cancer screening also provides opportunities for accuracy.AI can find the right symptoms for better management.
Oncologists can't do their jobs properly if the pathologist's diagnosis is wrong, Jeffrey said.
"So this artificial intelligence will greatly increase the accuracy of the diagnosis, so that we don't make a mistake in determining the type of cancer, finally we can provide rapid measures," he said at an event with AstraZeneca.
Optimizing the use of artificial intelligence for cancer diagnosis
Optimizing the use of artificial intelligence technology to support the process of breast cancer diagnosis and lung cancer screening in Indonesia is now further encouraged.
According to research, the number of cancer cases in Indonesia is predicted to increase by more than 70 percent in 2050 unless prevention and early detection measures are strengthened.Currently, approximately 400 thousand new cancer cases are reported every year, and the mortality rate reaches 240 thousand cases.
MeanwhileThe challenges are increasing.This is because many cancer patients in Indonesia are diagnosed only at advanced stages.This results in limited treatment options.Complexity of treatment and increased cost of treatmentas well as reducing the chance of successful treatment
This situation shows the importance of early detection and more accurate diagnostic tests to continuously improve the success of cancer treatment.
Breast cancer in Indonesia
For breast cancer specifically, based on GLOBOCAN data, nearly 65,000 new cases and more than 22,000 deaths were recorded in 2020. Some cases of breast cancer are associated with the expression of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2), a protein that can encourage the growth of cancer cells more aggressively.
"By implementing artificial intelligence technology to assist medical staff, the process of identifying breast cancer types - including HER2 status and its subtypes - can be done more quickly and accurately. This will facilitate more accurate and timely therapeutic decisions in clinical practice," Jeffrey said.
Lung cancer in Indonesia
In addition, based on GLOBOCAN 2020 data, lung cancer ranks third as the type of cancer with the highest number of new cases in Indonesia.
In general, lung cancer is characterized by the formation of nodules or lumps that grow uncontrollably and have the potential to become malignant.Cancerous nodules are usually larger in size, often have a bumpy or sharp texture, and have little or no firmness.
This condition can be predicted by early detection, so the formation of nodules in the lungs can be an early sign of lung cancer.
Sita Laxmi Andarini, a pulmonologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer, said, "In this case, the process of diagnosing lung diseases, especially lung cancer, with the help of artificial intelligence technology can help doctors perform the diagnosis more efficiently."
Efforts to integrate artificial intelligence for cancer screening
Regarding anatomical pathology, AstraZeneca Indonesia International Hospital and Siloam have integrated AI using Mindpeak Germany's AI technology.
This AI technology helps in the process of digitally analyzing pathological tissue to determine HER2 status in breast cancer patients with very low HER2 expression.
Supported by this latest technology, anatomical pathology results can be accessed in real time across the entire Siloam Hospital network in Indonesia and on a mobile device.Thus, it can increase accuracy, reduce interpretation time, deliver results and accelerate clinical decisions.
Anatomical pathologist, Patricia Diana Prestio, emphasized the role of artificial intelligence in improving the quality of breast cancer diagnostic tests.
"Targeted anti-HER2 therapy, when given appropriately, can prolong survival and improve a patient's quality of life. Therefore, assessment (scoring) of HER2 status must be accurate and consistent," he said in the presentation session.
Data from a study presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting show that using artificial intelligence as a companion to HER2 assessment can increase HER2-ultralow detection by 40 percent compared to conventional assessment.The use of artificial intelligence can also increase assessment accuracy to around 92 percent and improve examiner consistency from 66 percent to 82 percent, especially for HER2-low and HER2-ultralow.in subcategories.Therefore, it can increase the accuracy of classification and clinical decision-making.
Clinical decisions remain in the hands of physicians
A similar view was expressed by radiology specialist Devi Tantra Hardianto, who has experience in screening and early detection of lung cancer.
"In chest X-ray, an AI-based system can help mark areas suspected of lung nodules that require further examination through CT scan for more detailed description. This discovery allows patients to be directed more quickly and more accurately for further investigation," said Dewi at the same event.
He added that not all lung nodules are cancerous.Some nodules are benign and do not require serious treatment.
"What we evaluate are the characteristics of the nodules and the patient's risk factors to determine the level of suspicion. AI helps flag nodules that need further study, but it's important to understand that AI does not replace the physician's role."
"Clinical decisions remain in the hands of the physician who integrates technology results with the patient's overall condition. This collaboration between technology and medical expertise is what strengthens early detection efforts and improves the quality of patient care," said Davey.
In this regard, AstraZeneca Indonesia and Siloam International Hospital have collaborated to integrate an AI-based system through Qure.ai software to help with various lung diseases.The technology is also equipped with a validated scoring system that can differentiate between high-risk nodules that have the potential to become cancerous and low-risk nodules.
