Hospital uses artificial intelligence to treat cervical cancer patient in UK first
The doctor involved believes AI is likely to impact more cancer treatments in the near future
Last updated 27th May 2022
A hospital in Surrey has been the first in the UK to use artificial intelligence to treat a patient with cervical cancer.
The Royal Surrey Foundation Trust treated Emma McCormick, 44, using adaptive radiotherapy after she was diagnosed with the cancer last April and was referred to St Luke's Cancer Centre.
The treatment, called Ethos, involves a machine, created by healthcare company Varian, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver a prescription dose to tumours.
The AI technology uses daily CT scans to target the specific areas that need radiotherapy, which helps avoid damage to healthy tissue and limit side-effects.
Patients are required only to lie still on a flat surface inside the machine for the duration of the treatment.
There is a screen above the machine which shows different images, and medical staff can play music to make the treatment more comfortable.
Speaking to heat radio, Dr Alex Stewart, who treated Ms McCormick, told us the AI technology will also help reduce side effects from radiotherapy:
"We're improving our ability to target the cancer and find the cancer, this will give us a greater ability to cure the cancer.
"And if we can also decrease the dose to the surrounding organs, then we can decrease side effects in the future so that people are not only living after a cancer diagnosis, but they're living well with no cancer."
Given the all-clear
Patients are given slots of around 20 to 25 minutes per treatment, although Ms McCormick's was slightly longer as she was the first patient.
She received five AI treatments a week for five weeks before having a further two weeks of brachytherapy.
By the end of August, she was given the all-clear.
Outlining her thoughts on being the first patient to receive the new treatment, she told the PA news agency: "I suppose there was a little bit of excitement because, although I was going through treatment, I was almost helping other people.
"(I thought) If it works for me, and they get information from me, it can help somebody else. It definitely worked and did what it was meant to do and so hopefully that helps others."
Ms McCormick, who is from West Sussex, added: "The treatment that I had and the care the staff gave me, I can't fault it at all. It was exceptional care.
"Everyone was so nice, I felt I was really well looked after. If I had any questions or concerns about anything, we had a conversation. I had weekly phone calls too just to see how I was getting on."
Dr Alex Stewart, who treated Ms McCormick, said one of the benefits of the treatment is that it allows for more precision, meaning there are fewer side-effects for the patients.
She added that, due to the cervix and uterus being mobile, previous treatments sessions involved working out where the cervix might have moved to, doing a scan to check, and then applying radiotherapy to that entire area.
She told PA: "When the patient comes in for treatment, they lie down and a scan is performed. On that scan we work out exactly where the bladder is, where the bowel is, where the uterus and cervix are. Then we make a new radiotherapy plan each day for the patient.
"Previously this would have taken hours and hours but, with the advent of artificial intelligence, the machine contours where it sees everything to be.
"We then check that carefully and the machine makes a new radiotherapy plan each day.
"We're able to do it in around five minutes or so."
Increased use of AI in the near future
Following the success with Ms McCormick's treatment, nine other cervical cancer patients are being now treated in the same way.
Speaking to heat radio, Dr Stewart said we can expect more AI technology to support treatments in the near future:
"AI has gradually been increasing in cancer treatment over really the last decade or so, and so with artificial intelligence, we've been doing things like working out where different parts of the patient are inside, using the artificial intelligence to contour, and in other parts of cancer we're using artificial intelligence to look at mammograms workout.
"I think we're going to see a lot more artificial intelligence having an impact, and in patients in the future.
"Cervix cancer is one of the first areas that we did this highly sculpted treatment. As the technology becomes more accessible quicker, and training increases, then we can start increasing the areas that we're treating and making sure that even more patients benefit."
Louise Stead, chief executive at the trust, said: "I am very proud of how we are leading the way in this area of adaptive radiotherapy. The trust is fortunate to have extremely strong physics and research departments that excel at what they do.
"The dedication, commitment and hard work of all the staff in the department is also key to achieving this UK first. Congratulations and well done to all those involved."