AstraZeneca, Telangana govt to roll out AI-powered lung cancer screening in public hospitals

Hyderabad: AstraZeneca Pharma India, a subsidiary of British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca Plc, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telangana govt to introduce AI-powered lung cancer screening across 20 public health facilities.The move is aimed at improving early detection of the disease in both urban and rural areas.As part of the collaboration, the screening will deploy Indian startup Qure.ai's AI-enabled chest X-ray solution to help clinicians identify high-risk pulmonary nodules, a key precursor of lung cancer, along with 29 other lung conditions, AstraZeneca said.Patients flagged as high risk will be referred for confirmation tests or follow-up care. The initiative comes as lung cancer cases continue to rise in India, with cases up from about 63,700 cases in 2015 to more than 81,200 in 2025, with about 80%-85% of patients being diagnosed at advanced stages, contributing to nearly 60,000 deaths annually.Telangana too is facing growing cancer burden, with 46,762 new adult cancer cases projected in 2026, with women expected to account for a larger share than men, it added.Telangana health commissioner Dr S Sangeetha Satyanarayana said the partnership would help address this issue of late diagnosis by integrating technology into public healthcare.AstraZeneca India country president Praveen Rao Akkinepally said early detection was critical for improving outcomes, and the rollout of the programme would include training for healthcare workers and infrastructure support for long-term implementation.