How to cite: Albala DM. AI in Molecular Imaging and Theranostics. Grand Rounds in Urology. November 2025. Accessed Jan 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/ai-in-molecular-imaging-and-theranostics/
Summary
David M. Albala, MD, Chief of Urology, Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, New York, reviews the accelerating role of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging and oncology. He begins by reflecting on his early surgical innovations and draws parallels between those advances and today’s data-driven transformation in health care. AI, he explains, now influences all levels of patient care, from perception-based systems to generative and physical AI that enable telesurgery and autonomous robotic procedures.
Dr. Albala defines AI as software that learns from data to perform intelligent tasks such as pattern recognition and decision support. He describes how machine learning and deep learning algorithms have evolved from early diagnostic applications to systems capable of identifying patterns in unlabeled data and continuously improving through the use of reinforcement learning. These approaches are producing significant gains in diagnostic precision and workflow efficiency.
He highlights research showing that deep learning systems outperform traditional radiology models in sensitivity and accuracy for cancer detection. In nuclear medicine, AI-enhanced positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging enhance segmentation, reduce inter-reader variability, and aid in predicting the spread of lymph node and intraprostatic disease. AI also advances theranostics by enabling quantitative dosimetry and more individualized radioligand therapy planning.
Dr. Albala emphasizes that the ultimate goal is not to replace clinicians but to strengthen human connection in care. By automating data-heavy tasks, AI can free physicians to focus on patients, making medicine “more human again.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David M. Albala, MD, is a Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Albala is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive treatments for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), the use of fibrin sealants in surgery, and robotic urologic surgery.
Dr. Albala earned his medical degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He completed a residency in Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He then completed a fellowship in Endourology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman, Dr. Albala was part of the team that performed the first laparoscopic nephrectomy in humans.
Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow (1995-1996), who acted as a special assistant to Federico Peña, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues. He has been a visiting professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well as overseas in countries such as India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. He has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. Dr. Albala has over 215 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored 3 textbooks in endourology and 4 books in general urology. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of theJournal of Robotic Surgeryand serves on the editorial board forCurrent Opinions in Urology, Reviews in Urology,andUrology Index and Reviews. In addition, he serves as a reviewer for 8 other surgical journals. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA). Dr. Albala is also currently the Visiting Professor of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, College of Medicine. Dr. Albala has been identified (by a Stanford University-led study) as one of the top 2% of scientists in the world.
