The NHS is launching a major trial assessing how AI could be used to catch breast cancer at an early stage.
Nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in the trial, with AI being used to assess the screenings alongside radiologists.
The Department of Health and Social Care hopes that if the trial is successful, it could free up hundreds of radiologists and other specialists across the country to see more patients and tackle rising cancer rates.
The EDITH trial (‘Early Detection using Information Technology in Health’) is backed by £11m in government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, with around 55,000 people being diagnosed with the disease every year. Currently, women between the ages of 50 and 71 are invited to be screened every three years to help detect cases. This equates to around 2.1 million breast cancer screens carried out by the programme annually, helping to prevent around...