In Rural Chinese Towns, Doctors Will be Adopting AI in Breast Cancer Screenings

Artificial Intelligence is encroaching on the way Chinese radiologists read breast scans. This month, the National Clinical Research Center for Cancer (NCRCC) signed a contract with the Institute of Computing Technology, a research center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to start incorporating AI into medical imaging practices.

The objective of the initiative is to improve the diagnosis accuracy in detecting breast cancer, specifically when reading ultrasound breast scans and mammograms. The project will take place in rural towns, areas where the cancer is common, and regions where medical practitioners are short staffed. According to Xinhuanet, breast cancer is the most malignant tumor found in Chinese females, and there were 272,000 new cases of breast cancer in China in 2015.

Through feeding the machine hundreds of scans, the institute hopes it will eventually be able to interpret breast reports. The machine can read a report at lightening speeds, and once it’s digested enough scans, it will be able to act as a doctor’s assistant.

"Medical imaging is where artificial intelligence can play a big role," said CAS professor, Zhao Yi. "We use deep learning technology to build models based on the experience of radiologists."