October 6, 2023 — Lunit, a leading provider of AI-powered solutions for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are embarking on the world's first prospective study of AI-powered breast reading in a symptomatic breast clinic environment, utilizing Lunit INSIGHT MMG. This pioneering initiative aims to revolutionize breast cancer detection, streamline diagnosis, and tackle radiologist shortages by evaluating Lunit INSIGHT MMG's efficacy, an AI mammography analysis solution.
A symptomatic breast clinic environment is a specialized medical setting dedicated to diagnosing individuals with breast-related symptoms. These clinics are vital for timely assessments and diagnoses. While these clinics commonly adopt double reporting for accuracy, challenges arise from radiologist shortages. To address these challenges, Lunit and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are launching an evaluation to establish Lunit INSIGHT MMG's non-inferiority when used with a human reader, compared to the current double human reading approach.
This study builds on the success of a prior retrospective study in a symptomatic breast clinic environment, conducted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in collaboration with Lunit.
The study, scheduled to run until the end of 2025, will encompass 5,500 mammography cases of women visiting the UK Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust breast clinic. The participants will be divided into two groups: one group (2,750 women) will undergo traditional double reading, while the other group (2,750 women) will benefit from the expertise of two radiologists aided by Lunit INSIGHT MMG.
"Our collaboration with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust marks a historic milestone in advancing AI-driven breast cancer reading in symptomatic breast clinic environments," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "By fusing our AI technology with Leeds' clinical excellence, we are pioneering an approach that has the potential to elevate accuracy, expedite diagnosis, and alleviate the strain caused by radiologist shortages."
The primary objectives of this groundbreaking study include assessing and comparing the sensitivity and specificity of Lunit INSIGHT MMG within the mammography review process. Additionally, the study will evaluate Lunit INSIGHT MMG's acceptability among patients and the NHS workforce, while determining the cost-effectiveness of implementing the technology within the "one-stop" breast clinic model.
"As breast cancer screening plays a pivotal role in early detection and improved outcomes, innovations like the Lunit INSIGHT MMG AI tool hold immense promise," said Dr. Nisha Sharma, Director of Breast Screening at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. "This study has the potential to reshape how we approach breast cancer diagnosis and optimize patient care."
A detailed study plan will be presented by Dr. Nisha Sarma at the EUSOBI 2023 (The European Society of Breast Imaging 2023) symposium, scheduled from September 28 to 30.
For more information: www.lunit.io
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