The Royal Marsden has launched the UK’s first large-scale, AI-powered radiology platform for cancer research.
Built by IT provider NTT DATA, the technology will test and develop AI algorithms to significantly improve cancer diagnosis and help design treatments.
The algorithms will improve the accuracy of cancer evaluation, including sarcoma, lung, breast, brain and prostate cancers. This will lead to faster response times, more accurate diagnoses and better-targeted treatments
AI’s potential to enhance the speed and accuracy of identifying imaging biomarkers has long been recognised.
The Royal Marsden studies will generate critical insights into how AI can support clinical decision-making and shape future approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Researchers will also be able to track model performance over time, enabling faster feedback loops between development and deployment – a crucial step towards clinical translation.
The work is being funded by a three-year grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The platform was designed and built in a pioneering partnership between world-leading specialist cancer centre, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, NTT DATA, specialists in digital business and technology services, and CARPL.ai, an AI and machine learning operations (MLOps) platform.
NTT DATA is also providing specialist imaging AI consulting services, helping the researchers to test and evaluate emerging AI tools in real clinical settings, while extracting maximum insight and value from both in-house and commercial algorithms.
“AI has immense potential to support clinicians in diagnosing and treating cancer earlier and more precisely,” said Professor Dow-Mu Koh, Professor in Functional Cancer Imaging and
Consultant Radiologist in Functional Imaging at The Royal Marsden.
“By working with NTT DATA and CARPL.ai, we’ve created a scalable research environment that allows us to explore the full potential of AI safely and in a way that could one day transform cancer diagnosis and treatment across the NHS.”
Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth, said: “While this trial is in its early stages, it represents exactly the kind of collaboration between the NHS, industry and academia that will help build a health service fit for the future. Early detection saves lives, and innovations like AI will transform how cancer is diagnosed and treated – helping patients receive faster and more effective care.”
Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation, said: “Cancer is one of the biggest killers in the UK. That must change. This three-year grant will help researchers push the boundaries of AI-driven technology for cancer detection and diagnosis.
“This AI-powered service represents the cutting edge of cancer research, and it is going to transform treatment, better support NHS staff and ultimately change patients’ lives. It is another great example of how NIHR-funded and supported research will ensure the best care is there when patients need it.”
