Several NHS hospitals in England are preparing to use an artificial intelligence-powered blood test to help assess women referred for possible womb cancer before invasive checks are carried out. According to The Guardian, around 90,000 postmenopausal women in England are referred by general practitioners each year after experiencing heavy bleeding. This is a significant increase from previous years where the number of referrals for womb cancer assessments was relatively low.
The AI-powered blood test, which has been developed with the support of health technology company Haxby Medical Group, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze blood samples and identify potential signs of womb cancer. The test can be used by doctors to determine whether a woman needs an invasive diagnostic test, such as a biopsy, or if she is already showing symptoms of womb cancer.
The use of this AI-powered blood test could potentially reduce the number of invasive checks carried out on women referred for possible womb cancer. According to estimates, around 70% of these cases may not require an invasive check at all. By allowing doctors to assess the need for further testing, the AI-powered blood test is expected to help improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary procedures.