A boost for faster diagnosis of lung cancer in north east London

Patients across north east London are set to benefit from the use of ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI), which can help clinicians to diagnose lung cancer quickly and accurately.

North East London Cancer Alliance is pleased to announce it has been successful in securing £1m in government funding over the next two years to deliver this service, one of only 9 networks nationally to have been awarded the funding in full.

The project will be a true collaboration across all three hospital partners - Barts Health NHS Trust, Barking, Havering, and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), and Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - with all three named by the NHS in the list of 64 NHS trusts across the country to benefit from a share of £21m national funding for this innovation.

Wayne Douglas, Programme Lead for Diagnosis and Treatment for North East London Cancer Alliance, says “The project aims to deliver an AI-driven solution to support clinicians within the chest X-ray pathway across north east London hospitals to help faster diagnosis of suspected lung cancer.

“The goal is to enhance patient care and improve the patient experience by providing immediate assessment of chest X-ray results, timely identification of critical cases, same-day fast-tracking, and efficient backlog management. Ultimately we hope to reduce the waiting time for a patient to get their results from three weeks to just three days.”

The local context for chest X-ray services

Demand for radiology services in north east London is expected to increase by around 20% over the next decade, and chest x-ray demand is expected to increase by 29% in this time. This is due to the aging population and increasing incidence of diseases, including cancer.

Chest x-ray services are already high in north east London, with 139,080 chest X-rays performed in 2017. Data extracted from our radiology databases report that around 270,000 chest x-rays were performed in 2022 – representing a 94% increase in 5 years.

What are the benefits of the project?

This AI-powered approach is expected to speed up the evaluation of chest X-ray outcomes, ensuring swift identification of critical cases and prompt interventions, thereby adhering to National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway (NOLCP) guidelines and significantly improving patient outcomes.

The integration of AI will automate routine assessment tasks, allowing our radiologists to focus on complex cases. This streamlined workflow optimises resource allocation, mitigates delays, and amplifies overall diagnostic efficiency.

In summary, the benefits are:

• Speeds up the results for patients following their tests.
• Ensures adherence to optimal lung cancer pathway (NOLCP) guidelines.
• Enhances resource allocation and radiologist efficiency.
• Improves patient experience through minimised waiting times.
• Provides added assurance in immediate assessment and system accuracy.
• Reduces clinical harm by improving accuracy and intervention speed.

Wayne Douglas, Programme Lead for Diagnosis and Treatment for North East London Cancer Alliance, says “We understand the anxiety caused by waiting for results and using this break-through technology will help patients know a lot sooner if they have a cancer diagnosis or, as in most cases, they have cancer ruled out.

“The next step now the funding is in place is to run a procurement exercise and work with teams across the three Trusts to develop an installation plan, so that patients with suspected lung cancer can reap the rewards of timely interventions and reduced waiting times, ultimately enhancing their journey through the healthcare system.”

Femi Odewale, Managing Director of North East London Cancer Alliance, adds “This project is just one of the many initiatives in north east London designed to deliver quicker results from a cancer diagnosis.

“We have already started rolling out the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme - a free MOT of the lungs - for 55-74 years olds who have ever smoked. We recently launched a new MRI suite at the Mile End Early Diagnosis Centre, which has been shortlisted for an HSJ Award. And we are adopting the latest technology such as the use of robotics as a less painful and invasive procedure, and Cytosponge, the ‘pill on a string’ used to help test for Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer.

“Technology is moving at a fast pace, and we are aiming to be at the forefront of this, so it is great to hear we have been allocated the funding to deliver such an innovative project for our patients across north east London.”

For more information

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