Artificial intelligence seems to offer a perfect solution to diagnosing and treating cancer more effectively - but is it working?

Food, exercise, family medical history – any announcement by scientists that they have discovered a possible association with the likelihood of developing cancer is destined to grab headlines. However speculative the link, the media knows this is a subject we’re all quietly preoccupied with.

Recently, attention has shifted to an emerging technology that promises significant breakthroughs: artificial intelligence (AI). If a host of projects in progress around the world prove successful, AI could make a big difference in tackling the world’s second-biggest killer.

Experience so far will cause mixed feelings. In March, it was reported that in UK tests with more than 10,000 mammograms, a tool called Mia had successfully identified all of those where clinicians had found signs of breast cancer. What might worry women waiting for the results of a scan was that Mia...