A new study in Scotland has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) can improve breast cancer detection by over 10%. Led by the University of Aberdeen under a National Health Service (NHS) project, the research evaluated how AI software could support healthcare staff in the routine mammograms of over 10,000 women, who would also receive their results more quickly.
Yvonne Cook, a 60-year-old resident of Aberdeen, participated in the AI research. Thanks to the tool, her breast cancer was detected and treated early. "Ultimately, without AI, doctors would not have detected these cancers so soon," stated the medics. "If AI hadn't detected the small tumor at that moment, they might have found it in my next routine mammogram three years later, or I might have noticed it when it was large enough to feel," Yvonne explained.
Shortly after, Yvonne received a letter requesting further tests. "When I arrived for the appointment, I was told it was AI that had detected something," she shared. She was immediately prescribed medication to inhibit tumor growth, followed by surgery. A CT scan confirmed the AI's diagnosis was correct: there was a small, grade 2 tumor, too small to be seen with the naked eye. "The cancer could have spread, it might have required chemotherapy and a much longer recovery, with a greater impact on my life," she added. "I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of the research program and for it to have been detected at such an early stage," Yvonne stated.
Professor Gerald Lip, clinical director of the early breast cancer detection program in northeast Scotland, said the results demonstrate that AI could "effectively support" services by increasing cancer detection and reducing staff workload. "The integration of AI into clinical practice is one of the operational challenges of the next decade," he noted.