Nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier, the Department of Health and Social Care announced.

The EDITH trial (‘Early Detection using Information Technology in Health’) is backed by £11 million of government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It is the latest example of how British scientists are transforming cancer care, building on the promising potential of cutting-edge innovations to tackle one of the UK’s biggest killers.

Sian Taylor-Philips, Professor of Population Health, The University of Warwick, NIHR Research Professor and co-lead on the trial said:

“This is an exciting collaboration between clinicians and scientists across the UK. We're testing whether artificial intelligence can help NHS imaging specialists examining x-rays from signs of cancer. We are testing whether we can save time of our NHS staff, and help them detect cancer more accurately. It's funded by the National Institute of Health Research, so publicly funded research focused on improving NHS services.”

Across the country 30 testing sites across the country will be enhanced with the latest digital AI technologies, ready to invite women already booked in for routine screenings on the NHS to take part. The technology will assist radiologists, screening patients to identify changes in breast tissue that show possible signs of cancer and referred for further investigations if required.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting said:

"After surviving kidney cancer in 2021, I was lucky enough to experience the best of the NHS. That’s why I am so proud that UK scientists are leading the fight by creating the technologies that will help beat cancer once and for all.

"Take the world-leading EDITH trial, backed with £11 million of government funding via the NIHR, which will test how artificial intelligence could help NHS radiologists spot cancer earlier, save lives and help tackle those long waiting lists.

Currently two specialists are needed per mammogram screening. This technology enables just one to complete the same mammogram screening process safely and efficiently. If the trial is successful, it could free up hundreds of radiologists and other specialists across the country to see more patients, tackle rising cancer rates, save more lives and cut waiting lists.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, with around 55,000 people being diagnosed with the disease every year. Currently, women between the ages of 50 and 71 are invited to be screened every three years to help detect cases. This equates to around 2.1 million breast cancer screens carried out by the programme annually, helping to prevent around 1,300 deaths.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR said:

"This landmark trial could lead to a significant step forward in the early detection of breast cancer, offering women faster, more accurate diagnoses when it matters most. It is another example of how NIHR research, shaped and funded by the public, is crucial for rigorously testing world-leading new technologies, such as AI, that can potentially save lives while reducing the burden on the NHS.”

Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

“Catching cancer weeks earlier could be the difference between life and death – and these trials could not only help to get women faster access to treatment but reduce pressures on our NHS.

“Delivering on our AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are going to use AI to repair broken public services and drive forward our Plan for Change. Trials like this illustrate exactly the impact we know the technology can have - improving lives and in this case, saving them.” 

ENDS

Notes to the editor

The University of Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities, marking its 60th anniversary in 2025. With over twenty-eight thousand students from 147 countries, it's currently ranked 9th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide. It has an acknowledged reputation for excellence in research and teaching, for innovation, and for links with business and industry. The recent Research Excellence Framework classed 92% of its research as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. The University of Warwick was awarded Midlands University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times.

University of Warwick press officer Heather Holve is available on + 44 (0) 7803 052441 or heather.holve@warwick.ac.uk