AI technology to support detecting and diagnosing diseases such as lung cancer, is to be rolled out across seven trusts in Manchester.
A partnership between Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, Greater Manchester Imaging Network and health technology firm Annalise.ai, will see an AI-powered X-ray system introduced.
The tech is said to help read chest X-rays by detecting up to 124 findings on chest radiographs and potential lung cancer cases, with the information said to be “relayed to the reporting medical provider in under a minute”.
The project forms part of a wider programme led by the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, which aims to “improve cancer outcomes” in a community “where lung cancer rates sit at 24% above the national average and life expectancy is lower than in England as a whole”.
Leanne Jones, radiography advanced practice manager at Salford Royal, commented: “This is a fantastic support tool in addition to reporting radiographers and radiologists viewing X-rays. The final decision will still always be the radiology reporter, but the main point of the AI is to help prioritise which X-rays to report first, letting the investigation of potential cancers happen more quickly. It works by highlighting any abnormalities and prioritising the cases to the reporter, putting them at the top of the reporting list.”
AI in diagnostics and cancer care: the wider trend
The North East London Cancer Alliance has also adopted AI imaging technology to help with X-ray results. This has been implemented in Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals to reportedly helped reduce cancer waiting times “from three weeks to just three days”, enabling clinicians to prioritise more urgent cases.
The Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) has recently selected five new technologies as part of the AI Airlock scheme, “to better understand how we can regulate artificial intelligence powered medical devices”. This includes medical devices for cancer, chronic respiratory disease and radiology diagnostic services.
In October, DeepHealth, acquired London-based cancer diagnostic company Kheiron Medical Technologies Limited, as part of efforts to expand its portfolio of AI-powered diagnostic and screening solutions. Kheiron’s Mammography Intelligent Assessment (Mia) offers an AI-powered platform for breast screening, combining novel deep learning methods and radiology insights to identify malignancies in mammograms
Finally, we recently reported on how AI technology is helping to support the detection of fractures in East Suffolk and North Essex. The Boneview technology was supported by the trust’s innovation team, with a planned launched at Ipswich Hospital, Colchester Hospital and the Urgent Treatment Centre at Clacton Hospital to help with the scanning of X-rays for signs of fracture that “may be missed by the naked eye”.
