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AI-based lung cancer screening in Karnataka detects 133 lung nodule malignancy and nearly 3,000 TB-presumptive cases in last nine months
August 1 is observed as World Lung Cancer Day
State Health Commissioner Randeep D. said the AI-based lung cancer screening technology screens a patient for 29 lung diseases in one chest X-ray.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of the 20,418 patients screened for lung cancer through the State Health Department’s artificial intelligence (AI) programme in 19 district hospitals since November last year, as many as 133 patients have been detected with high lung nodule malignancy, which is often a precursor to lung cancer.
One confirmed case
Of these patients, who have been referred to specialists for further investigations, one confirmed lung cancer was detected on CT this month. Officials said the remaining patients are yet to come back with reports. Besides, among the 20,418 screened, as many as 2,805 have been found to have presumptive tuberculosis. August 1 is observed as World Lung Cancer Day.
Lung cancer in non-smokers: Exposure to second-hand smoke and air pollution the main culprits, say doctors
With most lung cancer cases detected at the last stage in the absence of specific common testing techniques for the disease, early intervention has become a challenge. In this context, the State Health Department had tied up with AstraZeneca to deploy AI-based lung cancer screening technology in its hospitals.
State Health Commissioner Randeep D. said the AI-based lung cancer screening technology would screen a patient for 29 lung diseases in one chest X-ray. Developed by Qure.ai, this AI-powered chest X-ray system will help the government detect lung nodules, overcoming a major early detection challenge, he said.
Incidence of cancer
In Karnataka, the incidence of cancer is increasing by about 1% each year in both men and women. In 2023, a total of 88,873 cancer cases were recorded in the State of which 5,272 (5.9%) were lung cancers.
According to data from the State-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, the institute sees around 25,000 new cancer cases every year. “In 2023, 11,712 patients tested positive for malignancy and of these 721 (6.2%) were diagnosed with lung cancers (508 male patients and 213 female patients) at Kidwai. Of these, only around 500 patients continue treatment,” said L.K. Rajeev, associate professor in Medical Oncology at the institute.
Stating that the number of patients continuing treatment for lung cancer is increasing when compared with that in the last decade, Dr. Rajeev said late presentation remains a crucial issue. “Most patients present with fourth-stage cancers. Of the 15% who report in early stages, only 5% are fit to undergo surgeries,” the doctor said.
Most prevalent cancer
Quoting findings from the National Cancer Registry Programme, Prashant Mathur, director of the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (ICMR–NCDIR) in Bengaluru, said lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and fatal forms of cancer in the country, ranking as the first leading site among men and fifth leading site among women.
“The incidence of lung cancer has been steadily rising, with major risk factors including tobacco use and air pollution. A recent study done by the ICMR-NCDIR, looking at various published studies found a strong link between air pollution and cancer, specifically showing that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air are associated with higher rates of lung cancer and deaths resulting from it,” Dr. Mathur said.
“The projected number of lung cancer cases in 2025 is estimated to be 81,219 among men and 30,109 among women. A recent analysis of 44,218 lung cancers confirmed that about half of the patients were in an advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis,” he pointed out.
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