Astrazeneca, Qure.ai Complete 5 million AI-enabled chest X-ray Scans

AstraZeneca and health-tech firm Qure.ai completed 5 million AI-enabled chest X-rays (CXRs) in more than 20 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America on Friday.

This can significantly improve early lung cancer risk assessment in resource-limited settings.

The screenings identified nearly 50,000 individuals with lung nodules considered high risk for cancer, leading to their referral for further testing and possible diagnosis, the company said.  

The initiative supports the EDISON Alliance’s 1 Billion Lives Challenge, aiming to deliver digital access to healthcare, education, and financial services to a billion people by 2030.

“Our collaboration with Qure.ai has validated the power of AI-enabled chest X-rays as a cost-effective triaging tool for early lung cancer detection,” Ti Hwei How, vice president, International Oncology, AstraZeneca, said in a statement.

The deployment of Qure.ai’s qXR technology, initiated in 2020 under AstraZeneca’s A.Catalyst Network, has been crucial to this success. The AI system helps analyse routine chest X-rays and triage patients for further diagnostic steps such as low-dose CT scans. It has already been successfully implemented in India, Colombia, and El Salvador.

“Five million scans globally is a significant achievement, demonstrating the scalability and effectiveness of AI in improving lung cancer screening in resource-limited settings,” Prashant Warier, CEO and Founder, Qure.ai said.

AI-powered CXRs not only offer early detection but also optimise the use of scarce medical resources. This is particularly critical in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where lung cancer mortality rates are rising, unlike in high-income countries where they are declining.”

Data presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) 2025 reinforces the utility of qXR, showing its effectiveness in detecting high-risk lung nodules 54.1% of the time, with supporting data on its cost-effectiveness when applied in countries like Vietnam.

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