A New Horizon in Women's Health: BC Researchers Pioneer AI for Early Endometrial Cancer Detection

A groundbreaking medical advancement from British Columbia is poised to revolutionize the early detection of endometrial cancer, a disease on the rise globally. Researchers from BC Cancer and the University of British Columbia have unveiled an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can identify endometrial cancer and its precursors using routine Pap test slides, offering a less invasive and potentially life-saving screening method.

Endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the uterus, is the most common gynecologic cancer in Canada.

Worryingly, its incidence rates are increasing, and it is often diagnosed at later stages, leading to more aggressive treatments and poorer outcomes. Current diagnostic methods primarily rely on biopsies, an invasive procedure typically performed only when symptoms, such as abnormal bleeding, are already present.

Unlike cervical cancer, which has effective screening programs like Pap tests, there has been no population-level screening tool for endometrial cancer—until now.

Led by Dr. Anna Lee, a lead author on the study and a clinical research fellow at BC Cancer and UBC, the team developed an AI model named 'EndoAI'.

This sophisticated tool leverages the power of machine learning to analyze the same Pap test slides already collected for cervical cancer screening. The brilliance of this approach lies in its ability to utilize existing infrastructure, making it highly scalable and practical for widespread implementation.

EndoAI was rigorously trained on a vast dataset of over 24,000 Pap tests, encompassing both normal and cancerous samples.

The results were remarkably promising, with the AI achieving an impressive 93% accuracy rate in detecting endometrial cancer. This high level of precision means the tool can effectively identify early-stage cancer and even pre-cancerous lesions, allowing for timely intervention before the disease progresses.

The implications of this breakthrough are profound.

By detecting endometrial cancer at its earliest stages, patients could benefit from less invasive treatments, improved survival rates, and a significantly better quality of life. Furthermore, a non-invasive screening method could alleviate the anxiety and discomfort associated with traditional diagnostic procedures, empowering more women to seek early detection.

Looking ahead, the research team plans to advance EndoAI through clinical trials to validate its efficacy in real-world healthcare settings.

There is also immense potential for this AI technology to extend its capabilities to detect other gynecologic cancers, such as ovarian cancer, further broadening its impact on women's health. This Vancouver-led innovation represents a beacon of hope, promising a future where early, accessible, and accurate detection transforms the fight against endometrial cancer and beyond.