Millions of lives will be saved thanks to a revolutionary cancer detection system, a leading UK doctor unveiled plans to global experts in Chicago on 5 June.

British GP Dr Bea Bakshi presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference on how the first of its kind AI technology system has been used to transform early cancer diagnosis and save lives in a ground-breaking study.

Dr Bakshi, who is the co-founder and CEO of the cancer detection system C the Signs in the UK, showed cancer specialists from around the world how they have taken artificial intelligence technology and used it to catch the disease in its very early stages, which means more people will survive their cancer diagnosis.

The study of 118,677 patients showed how the highly sensitive C the Signs system worked in a real life setting to detect cancer. The study revealed that patients with cancer were unlikely to be missed during risk assessment. It also highlighted the accuracy of the system for identifying the origin of the cancer, and helping doctors in triaging patients to the right departments for treatment.

Dr Bakshi said, “The results of our investigations to assess the accuracy of using AI technology in a real-world setting are extremely exciting. This was a study of more than 100,000 patients with phenomenal results, but the more the system is used, the more sensitive, accurate and effective it will become. We do actually have additional unpublished data that shows even better outcomes as the system evolves and we will disclose the specifics very soon.

“We are creating a future where every patient can survive cancer using this AI prediction technology. This is the most intelligent way to beat cancer,” she added.

Of the 118,677 patients risk assessed by C the Signs, 7,295 patients were diagnosed with cancer. 7,056 of those patients were successfully identified as at risk of cancer by the system, with a sensitivity of 96.7% for cancer. C the Signs has a negative predictive value of 97.2% demonstrating that C the Signs can accurately rule in and out cancer.

Of the 7,056 patients diagnosed with cancer following a risk assessment, the C the Signs system correctly identified the cancer origins in 85.6% of patients.

More than 1,000 primary care practices and 15,000 healthcare professionals in the UK are already using C the Signs platform. Dr Bakshi and her team have now launched the system into the US and are building partnerships with US health systems.

The presentation of the study comes as the White House and President Biden reignite their Cancer Moonshot initiative. The next chapter of the programme has been named CancerX. It is a public and private partnership aimed to reduce cancer mortality and is co-hosted by the Moffitt Cancer Center and the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), alongside the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). The founding members of CancerX were announced at the ASCO conference on Friday – including C the Signs.

The CancerX partnership is committed to reducing cancer deaths by 50% by 2040 and Dr Bakshi believes the C the Signs technology will be a big part of it.

“We are honoured to be one of the founding members of the programme and we know that C the Signs, AI technology and the huge improvements we can achieve in cancer prediction and detection will play a huge part in us hitting this extremely ambitious goal,” Dr Bakshi added.

Smit Patel, Associate Program Director at the Digital Medicine Society, said, “Multi-stakeholder collaboration is critical to harness the potential of digital innovation in the fight against cancer, and we’re honoured to partner with C the Signs to achieve the ambitious goals of CancerX.

“Through this impressive collaboration, we will establish best practices, build capacity, and demonstrate the impact of innovation on the life of every person on a cancer journey,” he added.

Santosh Mohan, Vice President, Digital, from Moffitt Cancer Center, said, “Beating cancer demands bold innovation and deliberate collaboration. CancerX is creating a dynamic ecosystem where ideas can flourish, expertise and resources can be shared, and innovative solutions can be rapidly developed and equitably deployed in the fight against cancer.

“As a co-host, we take immense pride in the diverse and inclusive community of pioneers coming together as members, all driven by a shared commitment to advancing the goals of the Cancer Moonshot. Together, we will advance the frontiers of cancer research and treatment through digital innovation, while striving to reduce the incidence and burden of cancer for all people,” he said.

Dr Bakshi is revealed the results of the C the Signs study to ASCO at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago on Monday, 5 June. Details of the study can be found here: https://meetings.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/219520.