A pioneering AI device, GI Genius, has shown promising results in detecting bowel abnormalities, potentially revolutionising colorectal cancer screening in the UK.
AI-Powered GI Genius Enhances Bowel Cancer Detection in Groundbreaking UK Trial
An innovative artificial intelligence (AI) device known as GI Genius has shown promising results in identifying and helping to remove bowel abnormalities before they develop into cancer. This development emerged from a recent trial conducted across multiple centres in England.
GI Genius operates by analysing the video feed of a colonoscopy in real-time. During a colonoscopy, a camera is inserted into the bowel to examine its interior. The AI system places a green box around any potential cancerous and precancerous polyps, known as adenomas, seen on the video monitor, and alerts medics to focus on the highlighted areas.
The study, led by Professor Colin Rees, a consultant gastroenterologist at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, and a professor of gastroenterology at Newcastle University, involved 2,032 patients. The participants were randomly assigned to undergo either a standard colonoscopy or one enhanced by GI Genius, with 1,015 patients in the first group and 1,017 in the second.
According to the findings, the GI Genius system identified 0.36 more adenomas per colonoscopy on average and detected at least one adenoma in an additional eight out of every 100 patients. Notably, the AI device was particularly effective in identifying sessile serrated adenomas—flat precancerous growths that are often more challenging to detect with the human eye alone.
Professor Rees expressed enthusiasm about the results, stating, “This trial has demonstrated that using artificial intelligence can significantly increase the detection of the kind of abnormalities in the bowel that may progress to cancer. We are able to find these lesions, remove them, and stop these lesions turning into cancer.”
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 44,100 new cases diagnosed annually, according to Cancer Research UK. The ability to detect and remove precancerous polyps can have a significant impact on reducing bowel cancer rates, given the typically long window of 10 to 15 years for polyps to develop into cancer.
The findings of the study have been published in Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Colin Rees elaborated on the potential impact of GI Genius, stating, “We now use this technology routinely in our practice, and I really hope that it will be used more widely. Simply put, it will save lives.”
The trial, named Colo-detect, is part of the larger Colo-speed initiative, a bowel cancer research project funded by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and the Parabola Foundation. Professor Rees acknowledged the substantial support from research teams and participants: “I want to thank each patient who participated in this trial because, without them, we could not have completed this vital work. There has also been a tremendous effort by all of the research teams involved, and I want to express my gratitude for their support.”
The successful development and deployment of GI Genius mark a significant step forward in the battle against bowel cancer, potentially paving the way for broader adoption of AI technology in medical diagnostics and treatment.
