Major breast cancer screening AI trial to begin


The NHS is set to trial five AI platforms for breast cancer screenings as part of an £11m government programme. Expected to begin in April of this year, nearly 700,000 women will be invited to participate across 30 sites. AI is already in use to deliver health care, manage waitlists, and check cancer scans, but this marks the largest trial of its kind. The trial will contribute to evidence the government plans to use to launch its national cancer plan in the coming months.

Part of routine NHS screenings, the study aims to deploy AI to help detect smaller, harder to find cancers. Presently, mammograms are required to determine an accurate diagnosis, necessitating two radiologists to check each for accuracy. The hope is that AI will shape a more efficient process, allowing one specialist doctor and freeing up radiologists to see additional patients, reducing backlog.

Prof Lucy Chappell, the Department of Health and Social Care’s chief scientific adviser, has expressed enthusiasm over the potential impact of this study, stating that breast cancer screening could take a significant step forward as a result. Speaking further on the trial, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that this was just the start of an ongoing improvement in cancer care. With cancer survival rates lagging behind other similar countries, he promised to publish a dedicated national cancer plan as part of a broader effort to make Britain a leader in saving lives from the deadly disease.

While the Royal College of Radiologists did say there was immense potential in the use of AI in health care, it also noted that the NHS has yet to obtain the radiology capacity necessary to make it succeed at its fullest potential. A shortfall of 30% remains.

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