Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for about 2.4 million patients diagnosed and 1.8 million deaths each year. The earlier we can detect and treat this disease, the closer we are to cure. Unfortunately, early diagnosis is not always a reality. While chest X-rays are the most commonly ordered diagnostic imaging test worldwide, interpreting these images often requires expertise and experience, which can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly help in this direction, as evidenced by a partnership between the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Qure.ai. Through its AI-powered tool, qXR, this Bengaluru-based healthtech firm has transformed the reading of chest X-rays, helping radiologists and other medical professionals make clinical decisions.

“qXR is the world’s most widely adopted AI for comprehensive chest X-ray reporting, providing pre-read assistance in under one minute with detailed lung findings,” said Bhargava Reddy, chief business officer, Oncology at Qure.ai. “It detects and localises over 30 chest abnormalities, including lung nodules, while prioritising abnormal chest X-rays for radiologists,” he told FE.

As a founding member of the Lung Ambition Alliance, AstraZeneca is increasing screening rates and diagnostic testing, with partnerships such as the one with Qure.ai and many others. “Lung cancer is at the forefront of AstraZeneca’s research and development focus,” said Sanjeev Panchal, country president and managing director, AstraZeneca India.

qXR has been deployed across 3,000+ sites, making a tangible impact on global healthcare. In India, the tool is deployed in several premier health facilities, including AIIMS Delhi. Qure.ai has screened over 2.1 million patients across 335 health facilities in the country. The company has also partnered with various state governments for lung cancer screening projects. Programmes in Goa, Karnataka, and Jammu & Kashmir have implemented qXR across 10-18 government hospitals per state.

qXR can be integrated directly with the X-ray modality or a PACS system, depending on the setup. The tool excels at detecting lung nodules incidentally from chest X-rays, even those taken in non-oncology departments, supporting early-stage lung cancer detection.

Panchal said that AI-based algorithms have shown increased accuracy in predicting the risk of lung cancer among patients with an incidental pulmonary nodule on chest radiographs. “Data science and AI are embedded across our R&D to enable our scientists to push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines. Lung cancer is the fourth most common cancer and among the top 5 cancers leading to death in India,” he revealed.

AstraZeneca has partnered with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC) and Guardant Health to form the Lung Ambition Alliance. The company is also in a partnership with a premiere institute in India to study the ‘cost on inaction,’ a comprehensive review of the clinical and cost effectiveness evidence for lung cancer screening in targeted populations using low-dose CT scans.

Qure.ai aims to capture more market share globally, including the US, by next year. “The goal is to detect 1,000 cases of lung cancer annually, with at least 25% diagnosed in the early stages,” Reddy summarised.