Several NHS hospitals in England are preparing to use an AI-powered blood test to help assess women referred for possible womb cancer before invasive checks are carried out. The test, developed by a company called HemoDiagnostics, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze the blood of postmenopausal women who have experienced heavy bleeding and determine whether they may be at risk of developing womb cancer.
According to data from the National Health Service (NHS), around 90,000 postmenopausal women in England are referred by general practitioners (GPs) each year for checks after experiencing heavy bleeding. Of those, about 10,000 women are diagnosed with womb cancer every year. The NHS AI blood test has been touted as a breakthrough solution to this problem, which can be time-consuming and expensive.
The test is expected to reduce the need for invasive womb cancer checks by identifying women who may not require them immediately. By using an AI-powered blood test instead of traditional methods such as ultrasound scans or biopsies, women who are not showing symptoms but are at risk can avoid unnecessary procedures. The NHS has confirmed that several hospitals will be starting to use the test in the coming months, and it is hoped that it could revolutionize routine womb cancer screening in England.