Stretched NHS radiologists are to get an AI 'second pair of eyes' to spot prostate cancer on MRI scans

Health watchdog Nice has backed five AI tools in draft guidance, and they will be trialled across NHS England for two years to gather more evidence. Demand for prostate MRIs has climbed now that pre-biopsy scans are routine, piling pressure on understaffed radiology teams. Around 68,000 UK men are diagnosed with the disease each year. A radiologist will still check every scan.

Nice's Dr Anastasia Chalkidou says the tools could flag scans needing 'priority review'.

Professor Peter Johnson says prostate cancer is now England's most common cancer.

He said waiting for an answer is 'stressful for patients and their families'.