AI 'co-pilot' used to speed up cancer diagnosis

AI software has been introduced by a West Yorkshire NHS Trust in a bid to speed up diagnosis of conditions such as lung cancer and infections.

It was hoped the technology, which would help interpret chest X-rays, would allow patients to get treatment faster, as well as play a key role in patient safety, according to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The AI software would act as a "co-pilot" for doctors and could identify up to 85 different findings in minutes, a spokesperson said.

Dr Fahmid Chowdhury, project clinical lead, said: "The real benefit will be once we start using the AI to flag the abnormal reads we will see over time, and the abnormal X-rays will get reported more quickly."

Dr Chowdhury, a consultant radiologist, said it was hoped it would also benefit patients with X-rays which showed no issues "as it gives peace of mind to the patients as well as the clinicians looking after the patient".

According to the trust, it carries out at least 135,000 chest X-rays every year.

The project is part of the Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative, a region-wide imaging network, and is backed by the NHS AI Diagnostic Fund which has provided £21m to 11 imaging networks across the country.

Dr Chowdhury said the pilot scheme in Leeds, which was launched last month, had already proved its worth.

"I've seen at least one example myself where at initial first you may not have seen the abnormality, but the AI highlighted it straight away."

However, Dr Chowdhury said he believed AI would not replace doctors, but instead it would work alongside them.

"It's still the doctor or the healthcare worker who is making the call," he explained.

"The AI is a co-pilot rather than a pilot - it's not flying the plane. The doctor or the trained healthcare worker is.

"The AI sits next to them and s them in doing that job."

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