Prostate MRI scans often look like photos taken through a dirty window: noise, blurred edges, curvature from field imperfections. Scientists checked what happens if you 'wash' that window: remove the excess, correct the distortions, and accurately align different types of scans. The movement of water in tissues is tracked by a method that picks up signals from hydrogen nuclei — the very ones found in every molecule.

After cleaning, the water movement maps became more precise, and the neural network became more humble. Without processing, it often gave confident but false answers: claiming everything was fine when a tumor was present. Now, seeing a clear picture, the algorithm honestly alerts the doctor in doubtful cases: 'worth double-checking'.

Simple data hygiene — and cancer stops hiding. The most interesting thing is that the signal arises not in the affected cells, but in the ordinary water of our body. Its molecules simply move differently next to a tumor, and that treacherously reveals the disease.