Our researchers are using AI to supercharge progress in breast cancer research

When most of us think about artificial intelligence (AI), we probably think about chatbots and image generators.

But in cancer research, AI is a transformative tool allowing us to go beyond what we thought was possible. Our researchers are using it to help us spot risk earlier, guide better treatment and give people more confidence about the future.

Recurrence. It’s the last word anyone who’s been through breast cancer treatment wants to hear.

And thankfully, most people who've had treatment for breast cancer never will. But for some, the cancer can return years after their original diagnosis.

That's because sometimes cancer cells can stay inactive, or dormant, until one day they "wake up" and start growing again. Understanding why this happens is one of the biggest challenges in breast cancer research.

At the Institute of Cancer Research, Dr Maggie Cheang is analysing tumour samples collected at several key stages: before treatment, during treatment, and again at recurrence.

Using advanced imaging and molecular techniques, they will study how cancer cells are organised, how they interact with their surroundings and identify breast cancer cells that survive treatment.

To make sense of the large and complex data, the team will use AI to look for patterns that reveal the earliest signs that cancer is becoming resistant to treatment or is more likely to return later.

At University College London, Professor Maria Secrier is also investigating how ER-positive breast cancer cells enter, stay in, and exist in this dormant, sleep-like state.

They’re developing advanced AI models that can learn the patterns and “rules” that cells follow – including how they switch into a dormant and what causes them to become active again.

But cancer cells don’t act alone, so the team is also studying how nearby immune cells, blood vessels and connective tissue can help or hinder these inactive breast cancer cells.

Ultimately, the team wan to identify cancer cells are likely to “wake up”, so they can predict which breast cancers may recur.

Triple negative breast cancer is a more aggressive form of breast cancer that can be harder to treat than other forms of the disease. Current treatments are often very effective, but in some people, this treatment doesn’t kill all the cancer cells by the time of surgery. And when this happens, breast cancer is more likely to return.

At the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit at King’s College London, Dr Anita Grigoriadis and her team are using AI to understand why this happens.

They’re looking for unique features and patterns in breast cancer cells that can be linked to treatment success or resistance.

They hope to train AI models to spot important patterns in how breast cancer and immune cells are arranged. These patterns could help to predict whose cancer is more likely to respond well to treatment. 

Outside the lab, AI is also being used to improve breast cancer screening. Some people with limited or no upper body strength (due to age, injury, or disability) can have difficulties in positioning themselves correctly during breast screening. This can stop them from attending appointments and getting diagnosed sooner.

At the University of York, Dr Jihong Zhu is creating a robotic assistant that aims to tackle this problem. His team are working with clinicians, engineers and patients to develop what they’re calling the MammoBot. It uses advanced sensors and AI to support and position people accurately for mammograms.

This project aims to remove some of the barriers to screening to help more people feel in control of their health.

AI is a powerful and innovative tool. But in order to use it effectively, we still need to ask the right questions, use high-quality data and make sure we have world-class scientists who understand the outputs.

The world of breast cancer research is always changing. And by funding the right projects we can make sure we remain at the forefront of progress. Working towards our goal that by 2050 everyone diagnosed with breast cancer lives and lives well.