Chinese Hospital Uses A.I. Tool to Spot Pancreatic Tumors in Routine CT Scans

A hospital in Ningbo, China, is using an artificial-intelligence tool called PANDA to screen routine noncontrast CT scans for pancreatic cancer, leading to early detection and treatment in several patients. The system, developed by researchers affiliated with Alibaba’s Damo Academy, was rolled into a clinical trial at the Affiliated People’s Hospital of Ningbo University in November 2024.

Doctors there say PANDA has analyzed more than 180,000 abdominal and chest CTs and flagged about 1,400 scans, prompting roughly 300 follow-ups and the detection of about two dozen pancreatic cancers, including 14 at an early stage. PANDA was trained by mapping lesion annotations from contrast CTs onto patients’ noncontrast CTs so the model could learn to detect tumors in lower-detail images.

A 2023 Nature Medicine study reported the tool correctly identified 93 percent of people with pancreatic lesions when tested on more than 20,000 noncontrast CTs. Alibaba said PANDA received U.S. Food and Drug Administration “breakthrough device” designation in April, and the tool is the subject of several clinical trials in China, including at a rural clinic in Yunnan.

Clinicians at the Ningbo hospital review scans flagged by PANDA and call patients back for confirmatory testing when warranted. Using the tool on scans already ordered for other reasons means no extra testing cost to patients for the initial screen; a noncontrast CT at the hospital costs about $25 before insurance.

Key Topics

AI, United States, World, China, Pancreatic Cancer, Health Tech, Alibaba