Readers respond to news that Theresa May has promised millions towards artificial intelligence that could help fight cancer and other diseases

The news that Theresa May has urged the NHS and technology companies to adopt artificial intelligence techniques in order to diagnose diseases such as cancer is extremely positive for both the healthcare community and for patients (May to promise millions for AI tools to help fight cancer, 21 May).

But to usher in an age of AI, there are several obstacles that must first be overcome. Beyond the prime minister encouraging greater adoption, increased investment into how AI can safely and successfully augment healthcare and research is needed. Far greater collaboration across different disciplines and geographies is also needed to fully realise AI’s potential.

It’s important to remember that while AI has great promise, it’s not simply a case of “plug and play”. The use of AI in healthcare will necessitate purpose-built platforms that are not only technologically advanced but scientifically nuanced. Such platforms will require huge volumes of accurate, varied, multidisciplinary data, along with many years of training and algorithm-building by human “masters”.

Together, AI and science can be a force for good. If the healthcare, research and technology industries can collaborate to overcome these barriers, then the future looks bright. But all parties involved must look past the hype around AI to put in place practical steps that make its widespread adoption a reality.

Dr Jabe Wilson

Consulting director, Text and Data Analytics at Elsevier

• I welcome the investment into AI helping to save up to 22,000 more lives a year by early diagnosis of cancer. However, the more patients that enter the cancer treatment pathway, the more we will need extra clinicians (endoscopists are already in short supply), all of whom need to be trained. We will also need more scanners, drugs, pharmacists, outpatient clinics and administrative staff, theatres, hospital beds, wards and cleaners.

Can Theresa May pledge the hundreds of millions of pounds that will be needed to make this scheme worthwhile and save lives?

Debbie Cameron

Liverpool

• It is disappointing that the chief executive of Cancer Research UK has fallen into the trap of not taking into account lead-time bias when he states that the benefit of earlier diagnosis of cancer is that “fewer people each year would die within five years of their diagnosis”.

Five-year survival is measured from time of diagnosis. It is self-evident therefore that the earlier the diagnosis, the better the five-year survival figures, even if there is no gain in lifespan. In the absence of effective treatment, earlier diagnosis will simply result in more patients spending longer with the worry and anxiety of having cancer and all that the diagnosis entails in terms of invasive investigations and therapy, and the adverse effects on the patient and their family. The fight to improve the lot of patients with cancer must continue, but the numerical information on which any improvement is based must be honestly and impartially presented.

Peter Trewby

President, Association of North of England Physicians

• I applaud the prime minister’s pledge to use artificial intelligence to detect chronic diseases earlier and hence reduce premature mortality. Although the news coverage of the announcement focused mainly on cancer, the positive implications should reach people affected by countless other treatable illnesses, where late diagnosis is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths.

Many rare diseases, such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a poorly known disease more often seen in women, reduce life expectancy and seriously impact a patient’s everyday life. Early detection and initiation of effective treatment are key to optimising the chances of improved survival in people with PAH.

Life is valued by all patients, regardless of their disease.

Jane Griffiths

Global leader, Actelion

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