A new breast screening trial using Artificial Intelligence (AI) is to take place in the UK.

The BBC reports that the Early Detection using Information Technology in Health (Edith) trial will invite almost 700,000 women who are already booked in for their NHS routine screenings to take part.

Starting in April, five different AI platforms will be tested across thirty locations to see if the technology can speed up diagnosis as well as free up radiologists.

The Biggest Breast Cancer AI Trial To Date

It will be the biggest AI trial yet covering breast cancer.

Breast screening is a breast health check. Current NHS breast screening uses a mammogram, which is an x-ray test, to spot cancers at an early stage when they’re too small to see or feel. Breast screening can pick up breast cancer before there are any signs or symptoms.

In the UK, breast screening is routinely offered to all GP registered women aged 50 to 70, every 3 years, as part of a national breast screening programme. At present, two radiologists are required to review the images from each screening.

It is hoped that the AI being trialled will mean that in the future, one specialist doctor will be required to complete the process, ultimately freeing up radiologists to attend to more patients. This advancement therefore has the potential to significantly reduce waiting lists

Prevent Breast Cancer’s Thoughts

Here at Prevent Breast Cancer, we agree that AI has immense potential to enhance breast cancer diagnostics and care, particularly in improving the speed and accuracy of mammogram analysis. However, AI will not replace the need for trained radiologists, pathologists, and other clinicians involved in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in the UK, with GP referrals to breast units doubling in the last ten years. Yet severe staff shortages means breast cancer units are closing across the country – almost 12% breast radiologist and radiographic posts are vacant nationally.

Prevent Breast Cancer is on a mission to futureproof breast cancer screening by building The National Breast Screening Academy.

The National Breast Imaging Academy

The Academy will be an extension of The Nightingale Centre, the home of Prevent Breast Cancer, and will provide a solution to the workforce shortages by delivering the space and facilities to train a sustainable workforce to support breast services across the country.

Nikki Barraclough, CEO of Prevent Breast Cancer, said:

AI is a tool that will complement, and not replace, the expertise of clinicians. It cannot replace essential clinical tasks such as physical examination, discussing findings with patients, performing biopsies, and delivering diagnoses.

While I welcome steps to embrace new technology within the NHS, this trial must not mean that the foot comes off the gas in relation to recruiting and training more specialists.

The human side of medicine remains as important as ever, and we are in the midst of a workforce emergency. The National Breast Imaging Academy will open this autumn, providing training for around 50 new specialists a year, going some way to close the gap, but continued investment in training humans must be considered just as important as training AI.

As a charity, we will continue to support research and advancements in breast screening, including further exploration into AI as a tool to complement the vital work performed by the UK breast screening services.

Discover more about the urgent need to build the National Breast Imaging Academy.

Published On: February 5th, 2025 /

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About Prevent Breast Cancer

Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.