Bombay: Artificial intelligence (AI) can detect precancerous lung nodules nearly three years before symptoms appear, according to a study conducted in Thailand using an artificial intelligence program developed in Mumbai.
The work, which was presented as a poster at the ongoing conference World Conference on Lung Cancer In San Diego, they looked at X-ray scans of newborns Patients diagnosed with lung cancer in whom previous examinations (performed during health checks at least six months previously) had not reported the nodules.
About 80 percent of lung cancers are not detected on chest X-rays, but AI-assisted X-ray scans It could be more effective, the researchers said.
Made in Phrapokklao Hospital Cancer Center In Bangkok, the study used AI-powered chest X-ray software developed by Mumbai-based Qure.ai.
Dr Passakorn Wanchaijiraboon of the centre said 18 per cent of cases had a missed lung cancer diagnosis over an average period of almost three years (32.3 months).
“This study underscores the The transformative potential of AI “In the fight against lung cancer,” said Bhargava Reddy of Qure. The company has processed over 4.4 million chest X-rays in India and its programme is being rolled out in 13 states in a cancer screening study; it has partnered with several ESIC hospitals and has been implemented at AIIMS Delhi.
In December 2020, the The company collaborated with BMC for the detection of tuberculosis from radiographic examinations of patients in its various hospitals.
“By providing rapid results, especially in resource-limited settings with older X-ray machines and minimal access to radiologists, the program helped make early diagnoses and reduced patient loss to follow-up,” he said.
Lung cancer has low survival rates, with more than two-thirds of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage when treatment is not possible.
Recently, studies in the United States and the United Kingdom claimed that AI tools could detect breast cancer long before symptoms appear. In another study, published in The Lancet Digital Health in July 2022, which used AI to analyse 1.2 million mammograms in Germany and the United States, it was found that having a radiologist and an AI system working together was 2.6% better at detecting breast cancer than a radiologist alone.
