The AICE project is an international collaboration between The Data Lab, NHS Highland, DHI, and European partners using AI to help clinicians spot the early warning signs of bowel cancer, saving lives and reducing pressure on the NHS.
The Challenge
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Scotland, with around 1,600 people dying of the disease each year.
The current detection method of a colonoscopy involves inserting a tube with a camera into a patient’s colon that travels around the large bowel (colon). This procedure allows doctors to check for cancer. It is a painful and uncomfortable procedure for patients.
The Solution
Scottish health researchers are involved in the €6m project, led by the Centre for Clinical Implementation of Capsule Endoscopy at Odense University Hospital in Denmark to integrate AI-assisted capsule endoscopy into bowel cancer diagnostics. This will make detection less invasive for patients and potentially reduce the capacity pressures the NHS is experiencing.
Colon Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) uses a ‘smart pill’ containing cameras that record images of the intestines as they pass through once swallowed.
Initial investment from The Data Lab allowed our in-house data scientists to build a model to identify suitable patients for colon capsule endoscopy, a less invasive, cost-effective, and time-effective alternative to traditional colonoscopy
“There are many advantages to CCE but the addition of AI will be a game changer. In the very near future patients will be able to have a CCE in their own home, AI will enable the images to be reported exceptionally rapidly, so the patient is able to get the result of the test almost immediately. This large European grant will allow AI to become a reality.”
Professor Angus Watson,
Honorary Consultant Surgeon
NHS Highland
The Outcome
4,500 CCE tests have already been completed in Scotland as part of the core NHS service offering. The procedure is being rolled out to health boards across NHS Scotland through the ScotCap programme to support endoscopy service remobilisation. In a separate initiative, 51 trusts in NHS England are trialling CCE after successful interim results from data on 2288 patients, where 70% have been spared colonoscopy after CCE.
Expected benefits include earlier initiation of treatment, less advanced staged cancers, fewer complications related to the diagnostic procedure, better patient acceptability and compliance and a significant reduction in costs from both diagnostics and treatment.
This project could change the future of colonoscopies, saving our health systems a significant amount of funding while efficiently managing the patient backlog. It also proposes a new way of providing ongoing observation in patients at potentially a higher risk of developing cancers.
Learn more about the AICE project at https://aiceproject.eu/