Jody Tate
Director of Research, The Health Policy Partnership
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools that can offer faster, more accurate cancer diagnosis must be considered in plans for the NHS.
The UK’s cancer survival rates are among the worst of all developed countries, largely due to the delay that many people face between suspicion of cancer and starting treatment.[1] The proportion of people waiting longer than the target 62 days from referral to treatment has increased over the past decade.
AI may reduce waiting times
AI could play a critical role in improving the efficiency of cancer diagnosis, allowing people to access effective treatment more quickly. For example, a cloud-based machine-learning tool is being used in some hospitals to prepare scans for prostate, head and neck cancers. This frees up the time of specialists, who can plan for radiotherapy treatment 2.5 times faster than they would have without using AI.
If cancer outcomes are to improve,
this must include the thoughtful
implementation of AI in healthcare.
AI can improve efficiency and accuracy
These technologies can spot features in samples that may be invisible to the human eye and can combine multiple data sets to identify patterns. This has significant potential to accurately diagnose cancer sooner while supporting doctors in selecting effective treatments. The result is less waste and reduced exposure to severe side effects from treatments that are unlikely to be effective.
Integrating AI will require key issues to be addressed
AI tools must complement the work of humans, not aim to replace them. Involving healthcare professionals in its development is key to avoiding a perception of the technology being an additional burden. The healthcare workforce must also be ready to adopt these technologies, which means upskilling and recruiting key roles where there are gaps. This includes bioinformaticians, radiologists and molecular pathologists. Moreover, the NHS must allow for AI-based diagnostic technologies to learn quickly by supporting the appropriate collection, storage and sharing of data.
The Government recognises ‘analogue to digital’ as one of three ‘big shifts in healthcare’ and a key principle for reform in its consultation over the next 10-year plan for the NHS. If cancer outcomes are to improve, this must include the thoughtful implementation of AI in healthcare.
[1] Lynch C. 2019. Measuring up: How does the UK compare internationally on cancer survival? https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2019/09/11/measuring-up-how-does-the-uk-compare-internationally-on-cancer-survival/ [Accessed 31/10/2024]
[2] Office of National Statistics. 2024. Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK A summary of the cross-UK comparability of cancer waiting time statistics that are published by each nation. Newport: Office of National Statistics
[3] NHS Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 2023. AI cuts waiting times for cancer patients in NHS first. https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/ai-cuts-waiting-times-for-cancer-patients-in-nhs-first/ [Accessed 31/10/2024]
