NHS launches breast cancer AI trial

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced an £11m pilot project, aiming to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help radiologists find breast cancer quicker.

The trial will see radiologists use AI technology to identify changes in breast tissue that could show possible signs of cancer. Around 700,000 women from 30 testing sites across the country, who are already taking part in routine breast screenings, will be part of the pilot.

The initiative, called the Early Detection using Information Technology in Health (EDITH), is backed by £11m in funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and aims to transform cancer care and mammogram screenings, ensuring patients can be received for further investigations sooner, and cut waiting lists.

DHSC chief scientific adviser and NIHR CEO Lucy Chappell said the “landmark trial” could lead to a step forward in early detection of breast cancer, offering women faster, more accurate diagnoses when it matters most.

“It is another example of how NIHR research, shaped and funded by the public, is crucial for rigorously testing world-leading new technologies, such as AI, that can potentially save lives while reducing the burden on the NHS,” she said.

The government has also announced plans for a national cancer plan to be published later this year, and has invited the public, NHS staff and experts to share their views, which will shape the consultation process on the Change NHS online platform.

Towards the end of 2024, prime minister Keir Starmer vowed to perform “major surgery” on the NHS through Labour’s 10-year Plan for Change, underpinned by digital technologies, to solve the current failings.

The aim is to enable NHS IT systems to share data more easily, introduce laws to make digital patient health records available across NHS organisations and improve use of the NHS App.

The plan came after a rapid review of the NHS by Lord Darzi, conducted over nine weeks, found an NHS in crisis. While most sectors have been transformed by digital technologies over the past decade, Darzi found the NHS “is in the foothills of digital transformation” and called for a major tilt towards technology in the NHS.

A central part of this is using AI to ensure patients benefit from ground-breaking treatment and cut waiting times. The government also recently published its AI opportunities action plan, setting out a series of measures to develop the UK as a powerhouse for AI.

Commenting on the breast cancer AI trial, science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “Catching cancer weeks earlier could be the difference between life and death – and these trials could not only help to get women faster access to treatment, but reduce pressures on our NHS. 

“Delivering on our AI opportunities action plan, we are going to use AI to repair broken public services and drive forward our Plan for Change. Trials like this illustrate exactly the impact we know the technology can have – improving lives and, in this case, saving them.”