Prime Minister Theresa May has delivered a speech setting out how technology can help beat cancer and other diseases, labelling artificial intelligence a “new weapon” in the fight.
Speaking in Macclesfield yesterday, May said that AI could be used to avert a staggering 22,000 cancer deaths per year by 2033. 50,000 more people will be diagnosed with prostate, ovarian, lung or bowel cancer sooner than would have previously been the case, leading to better outcomes for many. In certain circumstances, this could literally mean the difference between life and death.
May said: “Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths.” She added that: “the development of smart technologies to analyse great quantities of data quickly and with a higher degree of accuracy than is possible by human beings opens up a whole new field of medical research and gives us a new weapon in our armoury in the fight against disease.”
Healthcare AI basis for “a whole new industry”
The Prime Minister said that developing world-leading AI and health technology would not only benefit patients but would also provide high-skilled jobs and a whole new industry.
She said: “Achieving this mission will not only save thousands of lives. It will incubate a whole new industry around AI-in-healthcare, creating high-skilled science jobs across the country, drawing on existing centres of excellence in places like Edinburgh, Oxford and Leeds – and helping to grow new ones.”
AI algorithms are already being used in some areas of diagnosis. Technology and data streams already exist that could be used to cut cancer mortality rates, but infrastructure and systems need to be put together. It will even be possible to cross-reference medical records and test results, as well as data relating to a patient’s genetic history and health habits, with national statistics in order to spot the signs of cancer at earlier stages.
This could see patients being referred to specialist oncologists at an earlier stage and in some cases even before symptoms start to develop.
Earlier diagnosis could transform patient outcomes
Cancer Research Chief Executive Officer Sir Harpal Kumar said: “Earlier detection and diagnosis could fundamentally transform outcomes for people with cancer, as well as saving the NHS money. The Government’s mission to revolutionise healthcare using the power of artificial intelligence is pioneering.”
The targeted use of accurate and extensive data is essential to advancing these early detection technologies. For this to be possible, it will also be vital to ensure that an adequate digital infrastructure is embedded in the nation’s health system. Around £1.4bn has already been invested into research and development under the “grand challenges” programme that the mortality targets are being set under.
As an example of the potential of harnessing AI for healthcare, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Monday announced it was collaborating with the Alan Turing Institute “to harness the power of data science and artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making to make services safer, quicker and more efficient”.
