Expert: AI technology a boon for lung cancer detection

Technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has significant potential to help doctors screen and diagnose lung cancer, a leading cancer expert said on Saturday.

AI can be effectively applied to lung cancer screening, which normally involves repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. Using AI to replace these repetitive tasks can be an effective solution, Dr He Jianxing, director of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, told CGTN in an interview in Beijing.

"As technology develops, we can also implement AI to help evaluate lung function and tumor malignancy levels," he added.

However, AI won't replace doctors at this stage. "It allows doctors to focus on more advanced tasks," he said. "In the era of big data, doctors are responsible for integrating technologies from different fields, rather than spending excessive time on repetitive tasks."

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the Cancer Foundation of China (CFC), which focuses on lung cancer awareness and treatment advances. November is also the Lung Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative launched by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition in 2001.

China has seen growing applications of AI technologies in the medical field. Its first large pathology model, PathOrchestra, was released by researchers from Air Force Medical University, Tsinghua University and AI software provider SenseTime in July this year. The model can examine more than 20 human organs, including the breast, liver and lungs, Xinhua reported.

Lung cancer remains the deadliest form of cancer globally. In China alone, approximately 1.06 million new cases were reported in 2022, according to China's National Health Commission. Almost 2.5 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer and more than 1.8 million people died from the disease globally in 2022, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Experts at the meeting also highlighted some alarming trends in China, particularly the rise of lung cancer among women.

"In the past, smoking was uncommon among Chinese women. In recent years, however, women have begun to view smoking as a fashion statement," said Dr Qiao Youlin, professor at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College's School of Population Medicine and Public Health.

Statistics from 2020 showed that while the smoking rate among male residents in China dropped by 14.5 percent over the previous decade, the smoking rate among females increased from 1.5 percent to 3.3 percent, according to Life Times.

During Saturday's meeting, doctors discussed various topics, including tobacco control and early screening for lung cancer.

The CFC, established in 1984, has achieved significant progress in patient care programs, international exchanges, cervical cancer initiatives, medication assistance for underprivileged patients and educational support for cancer patients' children, Dr Zhi Xiuyi, the foundation's deputy secretary general, told CGTN.

(Cover: Dr He Jianxing, director of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Beijing, China, November 24, 2024. /CGTN)

(Cover designed by Jia Jieqiong)