NHS to pilot AI giving same-day prostate cancer results

Men checked for prostate cancer on the NHS could soon get same-day results, with artificial intelligence processing MRI scans in seconds under new pilot schemes.

Patients assessed by the AI as high risk would be sent straight to a radiologist for an on-the-spot biopsy – a tissue test to confirm whether cancer is present.

Results would be reviewed immediately, with all-clears issued that day and diagnoses the next.

The process will be trialled at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and used on around 10,000 scans at up to 15 hospitals in Yorkshire, Manchester, and the southwest and east of England.

Professor Peter Johnson, the NHS’s national clinical director for cancer, said the rapid testing would “help give the best chance of treatment being successful for patients and their families.”

NHS standards state that three-quarters of patients with suspected cancer should receive a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days.

The latest figures show this target was met for under a third of those with urological cancer, most commonly in the prostate.

The pilot aims to increase the number of patients receiving an outcome within 28 days and assess whether it can aid earlier detection.

Dr Oliver Hulson, consultant radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and leader of the trials, said he hoped they would help “fast-track” those needing further tests.

If the pilots succeed, patients will undergo all necessary processes in a single day, in one location, at Leeds Cancer Centre.

Men given an urgent prostate cancer referral by their GP should undergo an MRI – a detailed scan using magnetic fields – and biopsy within seven days, according to best practice.

In reality, waits are often much longer due to a shortage of radiologists.

The AI system, called Pi and developed by Lucida Medical, could help address this shortfall.

If trials prove successful, it could be rolled out in community settings to provide care closer to home.