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Check4Cancer
Wara Samar

14th October 2024

Advancing Cancer Detection: Check4Cancer’s Role in the Future of AI-Powered Diagnosis

As Artificial Intelligence becomes more prominent in healthcare, many medtech companies these days are utilizing advanced technologies with a patient-first mindset. Among them, Check4Cancer stands out, dedicated to creating accessible and accurate cancer detection methods. The company is driving progress in early diagnosis and treatment, making cutting-edge care more available to those who need it.

Leading the Way with Innovative Cancer Screening

Check4Cancer’s commitment to innovation is evident in its MyCancerRisk programme, which earned the “Innovation in Health Tech” award at the LaingBuisson Awards in 2021. This online tool enables tailored cancer risk assessments, providing a foundation for risk-stratified cancer screening. The program ensures that individuals receive evaluations that are customized to their personal risk factors, allowing for a more targeted approach to detection.

With the rise of skin cancer cases and a global shortage of specialists, Check4Cancer has also developed an AI model for skin lesion classification. This model uses images and clinical data to detect skin cancers with sensitivity levels that exceed traditional face-to-face assessments. The company is further expanding its capabilities with a new app that allows patients to capture high-quality images of skin lesions at home, making early detection more convenient and accessible.

AI in Healthcare

Gordon Wishart, Founder & Chief Medical Officer at Check4Cancer, highlights the importance of rigorous AI development: “For AI to be used in healthcare, it should be trained on good quality data and be consistent, explainable, reliable, and regulated. This is often best achieved by collaborations between industry and academia. If we can achieve these goals, as well as speed up the MDR process, I believe that the future of AI in healthcare can deliver improved patient care by being innovative, transformative, explainable, and safe.” 

Embracing Collaboration within the MedTech Ecosystem

Check4Cancer’s approach aligns closely with the MedTech industry’s efforts to enhance patient outcomes through technology. The company is eager to explore partnerships with startups and other MedTech players, recognizing the value of collaboration in refining and expanding its services. With a recent focus on AI-driven models for skin cancer detection, Check4Cancer is well-positioned to work with partners who can help bring these solutions to a broader audience.

Wishart emphasizes that clinician involvement is key to effective AI integration in healthcare. “The recent development of our skin cancer app and AI model for skin lesion classification now gives us the opportunity to work with partners who can help us internationalize these services,” he notes.

Genetic Screening and Personalized Approaches to Cancer Risk

The role of genetic screening in personalized medicine continues to grow, and Check4Cancer is actively developing tools in this area. Since 2015, the company has provided solutions for cancer risk assessment and diagnostics, targeting the early stages of the cancer pathway. Its MyBreastRisk test, which combines salivary DNA analysis with a family history and lifestyle assessment, has set a new standard in breast cancer risk assessment. Looking ahead, the company plans to introduce a similar DNA test for assessing prostate cancer risk in early 2025.

Expanding Reach: New Markets and Opportunities

Building on its expertise in corporate and insured markets, Check4Cancer is looking to extend its reach to new audiences. With recent advances such as the skin cancer app and the AI model’s novel risk score for skin cancer subtypes, the company is poised to expand internationally. Strategic collaborations will be key in bringing these risk-stratified cancer screening solutions to more regions and improving access to early detection services.

Check4Cancer Mobile App
Skin cancer app built that patients can use at home to take high-quality images and enter clinical data to calculate C4C risk score

A Look Ahead: The Future of Cancer Diagnostics

As the field of MedTech continues to evolve, Check4Cancer remains focused on enhancing the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnostics. The company’s AI model for skin lesion classification, pending regulatory approval in 2025, aims to support teledermatology triage and streamline the assessment process for patients with suspicious skin lesions. This model’s data-driven approach has led to improved performance and the development of a 7-point risk score for all skin cancer subtypes, recently published in Nature Scientific Reports.

Teledermatology
AI model built using data from Check4Cancer’s successful teledermatology pathway

By seeking out new partnerships, Check4Cancer aims to bring its innovative solutions to a global audience, offering faster pathways to cancer diagnosis. Through collaborations and a commitment to quality, the company is working to make AI-supported cancer detection more reliable and widely available.

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