NHS: AI could do breast cancer screenings at the rate of two radiologists, researchers claim

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used by the NHS for breast cancer screenings in the future.

Researchers found that computer-aided detection could spot cancer in mammograms – X-ray pictures of the breast – at a “similar rate” to two radiologists.

The NHS is already examining how it can implement this type of technology in its breast screening programme.

But the authors of the latest study said the results are “not enough on their own to confirm that AI is ready to be implemented in mammography screening”.

Previous studies examining whether AI can accurately diagnose breast cancer in mammograms have been carried out retrospectively – where the technology assesses scans which have already been looked at by doctors.

But the new interim study saw AI-supported screening put head to head with standard care. The randomised control trial, published in the journal Lancet Oncology, involved more than 80,000 women from Sweden with an average age of 54.

Half of the scans were assessed by two radiologists, known as standard care, while the other half were assessed by the AI-supported screening tool followed by interpretation by one or two radiologists.

In total, 244 women from AI-supported screening were found to have cancer compared with 203 women recalled from standard screening.

What's more, the use of AI did not generate more “false positives” – where a scan is incorrectly diagnosed as abnormal. The false-positive rate was 1.5 per cent in both the AI group and the group assessed by radiologists.

Researchers said the use of AI could potentially almost halve the screening workload.

Lead author Dr Kristina Lang, from Lund University in Sweden, said: “These promising interim safety results should be used to inform new trials and programme-based evaluations to address the pronounced radiologist shortage in many countries, but they are not enough on their own to confirm that AI is ready to be implemented in mammography screening.

“We still need to understand the implications on patients’ outcomes, especially whether combining radiologists’ expertise with AI can help detect interval cancers that are often missed by traditional screening, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the technology.

"The greatest potential of AI right now is that it could allow radiologists to be less burdened by the excessive amount of reading.

“While our AI-supported screening system requires at least one radiologist in charge of detection, it could potentially do away with the need for double reading of the majority of mammograms, easing the pressure on workloads and enabling radiologists to focus on more advanced diagnostics while shortening waiting times for patients.”

Commenting on the study, an NHS spokesman said: “The NHS is already exploring how AI could help in breast screening by enabling complicated image analysis very quickly and at scale, which, if proven effective, could in future help speed up diagnosis for many women, detect cancers at an earlier stage, and ultimately save more lives.

“This research is very encouraging, and plans are under way to assess the best ways of implementing this technology into the NHS Breast Screening Programme.”