Around 700,000 women across the UK will take part in a trial to test how AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.

Some 30 testing sites across the country will be fitted with digital AI technologies to test women already booked in for routine screenings on the NHS.

The government said that the technology will help radiologists to identify changes in breast tissue in patients who show possible signs of cancer and refer them for further investigation.
While two specialists are currently needed per mammogram screening, the new technology enables just one to complete the same process.

The DHSC said breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, with around 55,000 people being diagnosed with the disease every year.

Currently, women between the ages of 50 and 71 are invited to be screened every three years to help detect cases which equates to around 2.1 million breast cancer screens carried out by the programme annually.

Should the trial be successful, the government said it could free up hundreds of radiologists and other specialists across the country to see more patients.

The EDITH trial (Early Detection using Information Technology in Health) will be funded by £11 million of government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

“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,” said professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at the DHSC and chief executive of the NIHR. “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.”

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