Fujitsu and the Southern Tohoku General Hospital have announced the launch of a joint research project with Fujitsu Japan Limited and FCOM CORPORATION on an artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the early detection of pancreatic cancer from computed tomography (CT) scans without contrast agent (non-contrast CT scans).

The new AI technology has been trained with data from 300 anonymized CT images of pancreatic cancer patients provided by the Southern Tohoku General Hospital and offers an optimal image analysis method based on the shape of organs and cancer tumors.

The joint research project represents a new approach to apply AI technology to support medical practitioners in detecting early signs of pancreatic cancer from CT scans.

Fujitsu and the Southern Tohoku General Hospital will conduct clinical trials within this joint research to further improve the newly developed AI and offer a technology for an early detection of pancreatic cancer that can help to improve the quality of life of each patient.

The partners will also apply the newly developed technology in clinical practice to locate typical signs of early pancreatic cancer, including tumors and pancreatic duct dilatation that are often difficult to detect, as well as for findings that require clinical follow-up including cysts and local atrophy of the pancreas.