Hospital uses AI technology to detect lung cancer

A North Yorkshire hospital has introduced AI technology that could speed up the detection of lung cancer and other serious illnesses.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the software would "significantly improve" the efficiency and accuracy of chest X-ray analysis.

All X-rays were now read by AI in under 30 seconds of being taken at hospital, with abnormal cases prioritised.

The software would act as a second pair of eyes for clinicians and help to identify serious conditions earlier, a spokesperson for the trust said.

The software can detect up to 124 potential findings on chest X-rays in under a minute, streamlining the reporting process.

Dr Daniel Fascia, consultant radiologist at HDFT, said: "This technology will greatly speed up the time it takes for clinicians across our trusts to accurately report and diagnose each X-ray, helping us to reduce historical backlogs in our organisations, spanning back to the COVID-19 pandemic."

The Harrogate trust has been using AI to detect trauma-related injuries in X-rays, such as fractures and dislocations, since July 2023.

It is the latest of six Yorkshire radiology departments to introduce the newest software.

Funding for the technology has been secured through NHS England's AI Diagnostics Fund (AIDF).

It will provide £21m to 11 imaging networks, covering 64 NHS trusts across England, to support them with early lung cancer detection.

UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle MP, said the roll out of the tool could "save lives up and down the country".

"As someone who has lost their mum and dad to cancer, I know how important it is to accelerate medical innovation, through genuine collaborations like this one, to prevent this disease from breaking up families," he added.

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