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Health secretary Wes Streeting has announced a landmark trial that will harness artificial intelligence to help catch breast cancer cases earlier, potentially helping the tens of thousands of women diagnosed with the disease each year.
Nearly 700,000 women through 30 testing sites around the country will take part in the trial, which will use AI to assist radiologists in mammogram screening to identify changes in breast tissue which could be a possible sign of breast cancer.
At the moment mammograms require the expertise of two radiologists, but the Department of Health and Social Care said the AI technology will mean only one specialist will be needed to conduct the screening process safely and efficiently.
If successful the trial could free up radiologists and other specialists to conduct more testing which could help reduce waiting lists.
Writing exclusively for The Independent, the health secretary said that along with harnessing new tools such as artificial intelligence to help detect the disease, he has launched a call for evidence to help shape a national cancer plan in a bid to reduce deaths.
Mr Streeting said the NHS saved his life when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer but he was one of the lucky ones, as the “tough reality” was that too many people faced long waits or delayed diagnosis.
“Had that meticulous doctor not spotted my cancer on the X-ray, I may not be here today. Yet I know sadly many cancer patients don’t experience the NHS at its best,” he said in an opinion piece.
“The tough reality is that after years of neglect, too many patients face long waits, delayed diagnoses and critical gaps in the urgent care they so desperately need.
“Limbo is a horrible place to be when it comes to your health – I should know, I had multiple follow-up appointments cancelled after my treatment and spent endless nights worrying about whether my cancer had gone, or worse, had returned. That’s why reducing lives lost to cancer is so personal to me.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will put £11m into funding the Early Detection using Information Technology in Health or EDITH trial.
NIHR chief executive and Department of Health and Social Care chief scientific adviser, Professor Lucy Chappell, said: “This landmark trial could lead to a significant step forward in the early detection of breast cancer, offering women faster, more accurate diagnoses when it matters most.”
Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said AI had “immense potential” across diagnostics and cancer care and it was “fantastic” to see the government investing in the EDITH trial, but warned the technology also came with risks, and clinical oversight would be essential.
“Given the volume and complexity of breast screening, if AI is found to be safe and effective it could make a major impact on radiology,” she said.
“However, this is a rigorous study that will take time to yield results. With a projected 40 per cent shortfall in consultant radiologists by 2028, the need to build radiology capacity remains urgent.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the UK, with around 55,000 diagnoses a year. Through the national breast screening programme women over the age of 50 are invited by the government to get screened every three years, meaning about 2.1 million breast cancer screens are completed each year.
Breast Cancer Now chief executive Claire Rowney said it was “hugely encouraging” to see the government’s announcement on research into improving breast cancer detection and the organisation looked forward to seeing the trial’s outcomes.
Ms Rowney added: “However, while new innovations and technologies have the potential to improve breast screening, there are fundamental issues in the breast-screening programme right now that must be addressed in order for them to be rolled out successfully. This includes ensuring that the programme is supported by a sufficient screening workforce, with the right training, as well as up-to-date IT and data systems.”
Samantha Harrison, head of strategic evidence at Cancer Research UK, said innovations like the trial could help reduce pressure on the NHS and cut waiting lists.
“It’s important to remember that cancer screening is for people without symptoms, though, so if you’ve noticed any changes that aren’t normal for you, don’t wait for your next screening invite, talk to your doctor. It probably won’t be cancer, but if it is, spotting it early means that treatment is more likely to be successful,” Ms Harrison said.
The government is also calling on cancer experts, medical professionals and cancer survivors to share their evidence and experiences to help the government develop its National Cancer Plan and improve cancer care and treatment in the UK.
The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year, is expected to provide targets to boost cancer survival rates and improve patient care, and will include specific action for rarer cancers including those in children.
Cancer experts Professor Pat Price and Professor Mark Lawler say the plan is much needed as the current situation in the UK is “problematic, with approximately 3,000 patients a month waiting at least three months to start their cancer treatment”.
“After what has been described as a decade of unrivalled mismanagement, the new cancer plan needs to be radical, big, bold, and brave,” they said in an opinion piece published in Lancet Oncology on Tuesday.
“We need strategies to supercharge both early diagnosis and treatment, with ambitions and accountable targets that are met. If we do not succeed, patients in the UK will continue to needlessly die.”
