**World’s First AI-powered National Cancer Screening Program**
The medical AI company Lunit announced on the 9th that their AI mammography image analysis solution, Insight MMG, has started operating in the breast cancer screening program by the New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia.
Australia is running a national program called ‘BreastScreen NSW (BSNSW)’ for early detection of breast cancer. This program offers free breast cancer screening services to women over the age of 40 in NSW, with approximately 370,000 screenings conducted annually.
The BSNSW project is being recognized as the world’s first national cancer screening initiative to adopt an AI solution, setting a new milestone in the public healthcare sector.
Since the latter half of 2022, Lunit has been conducting the BSNSW project in three phases. In the first phase, they analyzed around 650,000 mammography images to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the AI technology. The second phase involved optimizing and validating clinical applicability using approximately 200,000 screening data.
The ongoing third phase represents the final step, indicating actual operation in the medical field. Lunit plans to assist in interpreting around 31,000 mammography screenings annually for women aged 50-59 using their Insight MMG solution. If the outcomes of this phase are successfully verified, Lunit will secure the operation rights of BSNSW for the next five years, without additional bidding, until 2029. Building on the BSNSW project, Lunit has also been selected for Iceland’s national breast cancer screening program this year.
Seojun Beom-Seok, CEO of Lunit, stated, “The BSNSW project is the world’s first attempt to explore the role of AI in national cancer screening programs. The commencement of Lunit Insight MMG in clinical operations is a highly significant turning point. We are proud to support healthcare professionals and contribute to women’s health through rigorous validation processes.”