Pharma giant AstraZeneca has partnered with Indian digital health company Qure.ai and a clinical group in the UK to test an AI-powered technology to help radiologists detect lung cancer in chest X-rays.
The aim of the pilot is to scan and review more than 250,000 X-ray images to see if Qure.ai’s qXR software can make faster and more accurate diagnoses of lung cancer.
Greater Manchester has been selected as the site for the trial. The pilot will run for six months.
The hope is that the technology will allow early diagnosis, which in turn will improve cancer outcomes, as treatment will be possible at the earliest stage, thereby improving both the patient’s quality of life and chances of survival.
qXR has been trained on more than 2 million X-rays and their corresponding radiology reports, using deep-learning algorithms to interpret the images. It classifies them as remarkable or unremarkable, detects and localises up to 29 abnormalities, and highlights them on the image for review by the radiologist.
A study conducted by Qure.ai demonstrated a 17% improvement in sensitivity when using AI to interpret chest X-rays, compared to radiologist readings.
AstraZeneca’s association will provide a bridge between the NHS and technology companies like Qure.ai, hoping that it can speed up access to technologies that facilitate access to speedier diagnosis.
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