- Mia is an AI cancer diagnostics tool.
- It underwent pilot testing with 10,000 women’s breast cancer scans.
- Mia identified known cases of cancer.
- It also detected 11 cases that doctors had missed.
- Mia is capable of identifying tiny instances of cancer that are invisible to the human eye.
What Is ‘Mia’?
A game-changing AI tool called Mia has shown its power by spotting signs of cancer in mammograms that doctors missed.
Early detection is crucial for treating cancer, especially types that spread quickly. Mia can find tiny tumors that are hard to see but can grow and spread fast.
The NHS tested Mia by analyzing more than 10,000 mammogram scans. Mia identified known cancer cases and discovered cancer in 11 women that doctor had missed.
In model experiments, Microsoft, a partner in the Mia project, expects to deploy the technology for widespread access on Azure. They predict that Mia could reduce radiography workloads by 30%.
In the trial, out of 10,889 women, only 81 chose not to have their scans reviewed by AI, showing that many trust this technology.
Dr. Gerald Lip, who led the project at NHS Grampian, said, “AI tools are generally pretty good at spotting symptoms of a specific disease if they are trained on enough data.”
One patient, Barbara, benefited from Mia’s AI precision. Her 6mm cancer was detected early, allowing for less invasive treatment with higher success rates. Barbara expressed relief, saying, “I said, ‘it’s not a big C, it’s a very little one’.”
Sarah Kerruish, Chief Strategy Officer at Kheiron Medical, the company behind Mia, talked about the journey of developing this advanced tool. She mentioned that it took six years to build and train Mia.
The NHS has been actively supporting research on AI medical technologies. They are rolling out AI-supported lung cancer detection nationwide, which is up to 40 times more accurate than traditional methods.
AI also shows great promise in breast cancer screening. Besides diagnostics, it supports the development of anti-cancer drugs.
Dr. Katharine Halliday from the Royal College of Radiologists is optimistic about Mia, saying, “These results are encouraging and help to highlight the exciting potential AI presents for diagnostics.”
Summary
It’s important to understand & note that the University of Aberdeen independently evaluated Mia’s results, but they are yet to be peer-reviewed and documented in official research. Still, Mia could be a game-changer in catching cancer early and saving lives.
