AstraZeneca has announced a partnership, through its Emerging Markets Health Innovation Hubs programme, with Qure.ai (developers of deep learning algorithms for the interpretation of radiology images) to integrate innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the early detection of lung cancer in patients across AstraZeneca’s Emerging Markets region, covering Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Islands, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay), Asia (Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand in 2020 and India, Indonesia and Vietnam in 2021) and the Middle East & Africa (Gulf Cooperation Council countries).

Globally, chest X-rays are the most commonly ordered diagnostic imaging test, with millions of scans performed every year.1-3 Although chest X-rays are easily performed in primary care and referral settings, the interpretation of these X-rays requires significant skill and experience, and lack of expertise in reading the imaging can result in missed or delayed diagnosis.2-4

A series of studies have described the use of deep learning algorithms to detect abnormalities, yielding promising results.5-7 ‘qXR’, Qure.ai’s chest X-ray interpretation tool, is able to automatically detect and localise up to 29 abnormalities, including those indicative of possible lung cancer.8,9 There are several features of chest radiographs (such as sharply circumscribed nodules or masses, those with irregular margins, and those with ill-defined lesions) that can indicate the presence of lung cancer.9 The CE-marked qXR algorithm can not only detect lung cancer nodules with high levels of accuracy in under a minute, but also marks out the position and size of these nodules.8,9 It can aid clinicians in picking up minuscule nodules which may be missed even by experts.9 A study conducted by Qure.ai demonstrated a 17% improvement in sensitivity when using AI to interpret chest X-rays, compared to radiologist readings.9 Such aids in early detection can have considerable long-term benefits for medical professionals in their efforts to tackle lung cancer.10 It can also mean lower cost per-life-year saved.


The AstraZeneca and Qure.ai partnership aims to harness and scale-up the use of this technology to improve early-stage detection of lung cancer in the markets involved, to reduce mortality rates and improve patient outcomes. As part of the strategic collaboration, AstraZeneca’s Emerging Markets Health Innovation Hubs will work with Qure.ai to explore the application of deep learning algorithms to identify patients with suspicious radiographic lung abnormalities and support their referral to arrive at a firm diagnosis. The collaboration will also focus on overcoming barriers that limit access to diagnostic tools to support early lung cancer detection.

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