Key points from article :
A new AI technology that expedites the process for preparing cancer patients for radiotherapy will be offered at cost price to all NHS trusts in England.
The AI helps doctors calculate where to direct the therapeutic radiation beams, optimizing treatment while minimizing harm to healthy cells.
Addenbrooke's Hospital, in collaboration with Microsoft, developed the AI program, called InnerEye, after a decade of research.
Typically, doctors spend between 25 minutes and two hours contouring organs and bones from approximately 100 scan cross-sections per patient. The AI accomplishes this task 2.5 times faster.
The program helps avoid collateral damage to surrounding organs during treatment of specific cancers like prostate, reducing the potential for lifelong continence issues in patients.
Addenbrooke's received £500,000 from the NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to perform necessary safety checks and evaluations on InnerEye.
This is the first NHS-developed AI program launched as a medical-imaging device, with other NHS trusts granted access to the cloud-based technology.
While doctors review each contour drawn by the AI, the technology is 90% accurate, with clinicians approving the AI's work without corrections approximately two-thirds of the time.
