Embargoed: AI could help spot prostate cancer more accurately, says NICE

EMBARGOED UNTIL: 00.01 BST, FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2026 

Innovative AI technologies have the potential to act like a ‘second pair of eyes’, helping radiologists review prostate MRI scans. 

New artificial intelligence tools could help doctors spot prostate cancer more accurately on MRI scans, NICE has said. 

It is recommending that five AI technologies can be used in the NHS as options to help detect prostate cancer on MRI while further evidence is generated. They are designed to help radiologists (the doctors who read medical scans) by highlighting areas on a prostate MRI scan where cancer might be present, making it easier to spot and report. 

There were more than 58,000 new diagnoses of prostate cancer in England in 2023. 

Not all prostate cancer tumours need treatment. Some can instead be monitored safely for changes as it is unlikely that they will cause symptoms. But MRI scans can play an important role in helping clinicians distinguish whether someone may need a biopsy or other tests to confirm if cancer that needs treatment is present. 

Demand for prostate MRI scans has increased in recent years, placing additional pressure on radiology services. These new technologies could help to free up time and capacity for clinicians to focus on supporting patients. 

The technologies recommended in the draft guidance for NHS use during a two-year evidence-generation period are: 

• AI-Rad Companion Prostate MR 

• DeepHealth Prostate 

• ProstatID 

• Prostate Intelligence (Pi) 

• QP-Prostate 

The independent NICE committee concluded that the technologies have the potential to improve the accuracy and consistency of prostate MRI interpretation, particularly in settings without specialist expertise. However, further evidence is needed to understand how they perform in routine NHS practice. 

Dr Adrian Hayter, GP and chief medical officer at NICE, said: “These tools could help radiologists identify clinically significant prostate cancer more accurately and consistently, while helping NHS services manage growing demand for scans. 

“They would support, not replace, radiologists, who would still review the scan and the AI results before any decisions about patient care.” 

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director for HealthTech at NICE, said: “These AI technologies have the potential to act like a second pair of eyes, helping radiologists review prostate MRI scans. 

"They have the potential to make MRI reporting more accurate and could help identify people whose scans need priority review. 

"Our committee concluded that the technologies can be used in the NHS while further evidence is collected on how they perform in routine practice and across different groups of patients." 

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: “Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is stressful for patients and their families, so anything that helps us give men clear answers sooner is very welcome.

“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in England, and these AI tools can help radiologists identify areas of concern on MRI scans and support faster, more accurate diagnosis.

“A radiologist will review every scan, so the technology supports our expert staff but does not replace them.

“As we have already seen with AI in lung cancer, innovations like this can help us diagnose cancers faster, and we welcome the opportunity to gather more evidence on how they work for different patients across the NHS."

Two further technologies, hProstate and mdprostate, were not recommended for NHS funding because no clinical or cost-effectiveness evidence was available for them. 

Supporting earlier and more consistent diagnosis 

MRI scans are an important part of the prostate cancer diagnostic pathway. A radiologist reviews the scan to assess whether cancer is likely to be present and whether further tests, such as a biopsy, may be needed. 

The AI technologies can identify and outline possible areas of cancer, classify risk and produce information to support radiologists when interpreting MRI scans.  

The committee found that the technologies have potential, but the available evidence is limited and findings were not always consistent across studies. Further NHS evidence is therefore needed on diagnostic accuracy, patient outcomes, NHS workflows, costs and performance across different groups of people. 

Next steps 

The draft guidance and evidence generation plan are now available for consultation. Comments received during the consultation period will be considered by the independent committee before final guidance is published. 

ENDS