AI Helps Detect 80% of Breast Cancer Cases in Russia at Early Stages
The use of computer vision in Russian healthcare is delivering breakthrough results.
The introduction of artificial intelligence into Moscow’s healthcare system has led to a major breakthrough: the share of breast cancer cases detected at early stages has risen to 80%. This result was made possible by a project unique to both Russia and global practice, launched in 2020 at the Moscow Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine.
A Second Set of Eyes
The initiative has grown into a full-fledged ecosystem of more than 60 AI-based services capable of analyzing medical images across 43 clinical areas. The most striking results have been achieved in mammography, where neural networks act as a “second doctor.” AI systems process the images, while final decisions in ambiguous cases are made by expert physicians.
The project is deeply integrated into real clinical practice and is funded through Russia’s mandatory health insurance system, Rg.ru reports. Two AI services are already reimbursed by the state as full-fledged medical services. They perform initial triage by flagging scans with potential abnormalities and generating draft reports, significantly reducing doctors’ workload.
From Experiment to Everyday Tool
“Today, we can say that artificial intelligence has stopped being an experiment and has become a working tool for physicians,” said Yuri Vasilyev, chief physician of the Moscow Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine. “Millions of studies have been processed using neural networks, and the accuracy of these services is comparable to that of a doctor.”
The digital transformation of radiology in Moscow addresses a key challenge facing global healthcare: optimizing the workload of specialists. AI agents handle up to 70% of routine scans with no detected pathology, such as in fluorography, allowing radiologists to focus on complex cases. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also improves its reliability.
The success of the Moscow project marks a new chapter in medical diagnostics, where the combination of human expertise and artificial intelligence is saving thousands of lives by delivering levels of screening efficiency that were previously unattainable.
