Chinese researchers have introduced GRAPE (Gastric Cancer Risk Assessment Procedure with Artificial Intelligence), an advanced AI model designed to detect early-stage gastric cancer using non-contrast CT scans.
Reported by Xinhua News Agency (partner of TV BRICS), GRAPE analyzes non-invasive CT images previously considered ineffective for stomach cancer diagnosis. Trained on nearly 100,000 scans from 20 Chinese medical institutions, it achieves 85.1% sensitivity, outperforming seasoned radiologists.
The AI employs innovative image registration, aligning contrast-enhanced CT with non-contrast scans to improve tumour identification.
Clinical trials at two hospitals increased detection rates to 24.5%, including asymptomatic cases. Retrospective studies showed GRAPE flagged cancer signs months before formal diagnosis.
Already deployed in Zhejiang and Anhui hospitals, GRAPE is set for wider adoption domestically and internationally. This innovation is part of China’s expanding AI-driven medical diagnostics efforts, which also include a new AI tool for cervical cancer screening rivaling expert accuracy.
