NHS to pilot AI blood test to reduce invasive womb cancer screenings
The NHS is launching a pilot program for an AI-driven blood test designed to triage patients and reduce the need for invasive womb cancer screenings.
1. AI-Powered Diagnostic Tool
NHS hospitals are preparing to implement an AI-driven blood test designed to assess the risk of womb cancer in patients referred by GPs. Developed by Leeds-based PinPoint Data Science, the test utilizes machine learning to analyze approximately 30 blood markers, classifying patients into low, elevated, or high-risk categories. During a trial involving 16,481 patients in Yorkshire, the tool demonstrated a 99.1% success rate in identifying cancers as elevated or high risk, with a 99.8% negative predictive value for the lowest-risk group.
2. Reducing Invasive Procedures
The current diagnostic pathway for suspected reproductive cancers often requires a transvaginal ultrasound, a procedure that many patients find uncomfortable or painful. PinPointâs test is intended to triage patients, potentially sparing approximately one in five referred womenâor roughly 18,000 patients annually in Englandâfrom needing an ultrasound. By ruling out low-risk patients in primary care, the test aims to shorten the diagnostic process and allow clinicians to prioritize higher-risk individuals for urgent hospital-based investigations, such as biopsies or hysteroscopies.
3. Integration and Future Outlook
The test is being adopted by trusts including Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. While the technology is viewed as a promising development for improving diagnostic efficiency, organizations like Cancer Research UK have noted that further research is required to fully understand its long-term impact on patient outcomes and NHS capacity. This deployment follows other recent NHS initiatives involving AI, such as the use of MEMORI for infection risk assessment and the ongoing rollout of AI-powered chest X-ray tools for lung cancer detection.