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AI is trained to spot warning signs in blood tests
This is the third feature in a six-part series that is looking at how AI is changing medical research and treatments.
Ovarian cancer is “rare, underfunded, and deadly”, says Audra Moran, head of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (Ocra), a global charity based in New York.
Like all cancers, the earlier it is detected the better.
Most ovarian cancer starts in the fallopian tubes, so by the time it gets to the ovaries, it may have already spread elsewhere too.
“Five years prior to ever having a symptom is when you might have to detect ovarian cancer, to affect mortality,” says Ms Moran.
But new blood tests are emerging that use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to spot signs of the cancer in its very early stages.
And it’s not just cancer, AI can also speed up other blood tests for potentially deadly infections like pneumonia.