Nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier.
Thirty testing sites across the country will be enhanced with the latest digital AI technologies, ready to invite women already booked in for routine screenings on the NHS to take part. The technology will assist radiologists, screening patients to identify changes in breast tissue that show possible signs of cancer and referred for further investigations if required. The EDITH trial (‘Early Detection using Information Technology in Health’) is backed by £11 million of government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Currently two specialists are needed per mammogram screening; however, the AI technology enables just one to complete the same mammogram screening process safely and efficiently. If the trial is successful, it could free up hundreds of radiologists and other specialists across the country to see more patients, tackle rising cancer rates, save more lives and cut waiting lists.
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 1,300 deaths.
The launch of the trial comes as cancer experts, people living with cancer, and medical professionals are invited to help shape the development of a new National Cancer Plan via the launch of a call for evidence, announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary at an event hosted by Macmillan Cancer Support to mark World Cancer Day.
Every four minutes, someone in the UK dies from cancer and Lord Darzi’s recent investigation into the NHS found that cancer survival in this country is worse for some cancers than some similar nations.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting said: “As a cancer survivor, I feel like one of the lucky ones. With record numbers of people diagnosed with cancer, and Lord Darzi finding that cancer survival is worse in this country than our peers, I know that urgent action is needed to save lives and improve patient care.
“That’s why for World Cancer Day, I am committed to publishing a dedicated National Cancer Plan this year, to unleash Britain’s potential as a world-leader in saving lives from this deadly disease and make the NHS fit for the future through our Plan for Change.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR said: “This landmark trial could lead to a significant step forward in the early detection of breast cancer, offering women faster, more accurate diagnoses when it matters most.
“It is another example of how NIHR research, shaped and funded by the public, is crucial for rigorously testing world-leading new technologies, such as AI, that can potentially save lives while reducing the burden on the NHS.”
Due to be published later this year, the National Cancer Plan will set out targeted actions to reduce lives lost to one of the biggest killers, continue improving survival rates, and improve the experience of patients along their cancer journey. It will also include specific actions for rarer cancers such as those affecting children.
To support this work, the government has re-launched the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce, with Dame Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave appointed as its co-chairs, alongside Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel as vice-chair. The taskforce will bring together the country’s top experts to set out plans to improve treatment, detection, and research for cancer in children, which will feed into the National Cancer Plan.
NHS national clinical director for cancer Professor Peter Johnson said: “The NHS is diagnosing more cancers at an early stage than ever before - when treatment is most likely to be effective - but we know we need to accelerate progress further. 
“A National Cancer Plan will give us the chance to do just that – bringing in new ideas, help us make best practice, normal practice – and ensure the NHS is at the cutting edge of new cancer developments and innovations in the future.”
Britain is a global leader in the development of advanced therapies, with a strong academic and life sciences industry, and was the first national health system in Europe to commission CAR-T cellular therapy for blood cancer patients.
Now, alongside the National Cancer Plan, a new UK Collaborative for Cancer Clinical Research is being launched to provide coordination, target investment, and maximise opportunities for the UK to lead in clinical research. The government says this will help to unlock innovation and growth. Hosted by the Association of Medical Research Charities, the Collaborative will support charities to convene expertise from across the cancer research landscape, to identify strategic priorities and cross-cutting areas of unmet need.
Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said: “Catching cancer weeks earlier could be the difference between life and death – and these trials could not only help to get women faster access to treatment but reduce pressures on our NHS.
“Delivering on our AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are going to use AI to repair broken public services and drive forward our Plan for Change. Trials like this illustrate exactly the impact we know the technology can have - improving lives and in this case, saving them.”
