The National Clinical Research Center for Cancer (NCRCC) in China has signed a deal with the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to use artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging.

The Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital was appointed as the NCRCC by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC in 2013. CAS is the national scientific think tank and academic governing body in the PRC and it comprises 104 research institutes, 12 branch academies, three universities and 11 supporting organizations in 23 provincial-level areas throughout the country.

The first area of focus for the cooperation will be to use the AI technology for reading breast scans and mammograms, two common methods used in breast cancer screening. Deep learning technology will be used to build models based on the experience of radiologists. The machine would be trained on hundreds of thousands of breast scan reports before it assists the doctors in diagnosis. It will be able to produce a highly-accurate report in just a few seconds based on its reading of the scans.

The aim of this agreement is to improve diagnosis accuracy and encourage breast cancer screening in regions of high prevalence and in rural areas, where experienced medical professionals are in short supply.

AI has huge potential applications in the field of healthcare and radiology is one of the most promising areas within health. Learning algorithms are being used to read X-rays, CT scans, MRIs of all sorts.