INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An artificial intelligence programme has been developed that outperforms clinical experts in detecting breast cancer in mammograms,
according to researchers.The study found that an AI system developed by Google Health can identify cancer in breast screening mammograms
with fewer false positives and fewer false negatives than radiologists.The programme was developed in collaboration with DeepMind, Cancer
Research UK Imperial Centre, Northwestern University and Royal Surrey County Hospital.The team trained the system to identify breast cancers
on more than 76,000 women in the UK and over 15,000 women in the US.They then compared the system's performance with the actual results from
a set of more than 25,000 women in the UK and over 3,000 women in the US.The study showed the AI system could identify cancers with a
similar degree of accuracy to radiologists, while reducing the number of false positive results by 1.2% in the UK-based group and 5.7% in
the US-based group.It also cut the number of false negatives, where tests are wrongly classified as normal, by 2.7% in the UK group and 9.4%
in the US group.These differences reflect the ways in which mammograms are read.Image:Screening mammography is the most widely used breast
cancer screening toolIn the UK, the tests are done every three years, and each is read by two radiologists
When they disagree, a third is consulted
In the US, only one radiologist reads the results and the tests are done every one to two years.The team said that the study, published in
the journal Nature, "set the stage" for the model to potentially support radiologists performing breast cancer screenings.Dominic King, UK
lead at Google Health, said: "Our team is really proud of these research findings, which suggest that we are on our way to developing a tool
that can help clinicians spot breast cancer with greater accuracy."Further testing, clinical validation and regulatory approvals are
required before this could start making a difference for patients, but we're committed to working with our partners towards this
goal."Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK - with around 55,000 people diagnosed every year, according to Cancer Research
UK.The charity said one in seven women in the UK develops breast cancer during their lifetime, and it is more common in older women.Michelle
Mitchell, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "This is still early stage research, but it shows how AI could improve breast cancer
screening and ease pressure off the NHS
And while further clinical studies are needed to see how and if this technology could work in practice, the initial results are promising."
