Artificial Intelligence could help diagnose cancer in future, say Hong Kong doctors
- Hospital Authority launches investigation after medical staff fail to spot disease in three patients
- Leading radiologist says AI may help one day, but the technology is far from being ready
Artificial intelligence could one day prevent the failure to diagnose cancer in Hong Kong patients, doctors in the city said on Thursday – but it will not happen any time soon.
Dr Poon Wai-lun, a council member of the Hong Kong College of Radiologists, was speaking a day after it was revealed doctors had misread X-rays that showed lung cancer in three people.
In a case involving Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, doctors failed to follow up on a shadow on the left lung shown in a patient’s X-ray film, which taken in March last year.
The patient was later confirmed to have a metastatic lung tumour, after being admitted to the hospital this month suffering gallbladder inflammation.
Other cases at Queen Mary Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital have also come to light this week, prompting the Hospital Authority to form a panel to explore ways to ensure health care workers spot abnormalities in chest X-rays sooner.