Health
AI detects woman’s breast cancer after routine screening missed it: 'Deeply grateful'
A U.K. woman is thanking artificial intelligence for saving her life.
Sheila Tooth of Littlehampton, West Sussex, had her breast cancer successfully detected by AI after routine testing came back “normal,” according to a report by SWNS.
Tooth, 68, was told she was clear of breast cancer after her last mammogram was reviewed by two radiologists.
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Her mammogram was then analyzed by an AI system, Mammography Intelligent Assessment, as part of a system being tested by University Hospitals Sussex.
The technology picked up cancer cells in Tooth’s screening that were undetectable by the human eye, according to SWNS.
“I’m deeply grateful for it to have been caught so early,” Tooth told SWNS. “All the staff were amazing — so kind and lovely and very reassuring.” (iStock; SWNS)
Tooth had been previously diagnosed with non-invasive early breast cancer 15 years ago, so she reported feeling “very frightened” about being diagnosed again.
“But I knew that whatever they could see on my scan must have been incredibly small if it wasn’t picked up the first time,” she told SWNS.
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Because the scan picked up the same type of breast cancer early on, Tooth was able to receive a lumpectomy without any further treatment.
She described feeling “grateful” for the AI technology, stating that “it’s extraordinary and I’m amazed.”
Artificial intelligence successfully detected Tooth’s breast cancer early enough to treat it. She described feeling “grateful” for the AI technology, stating that “it’s extraordinary and I’m amazed.” (SWNS)
“When I talk to friends, we just can’t believe this AI can detect what the human eye can’t always see. I just feel so lucky,” she said.
“Being 68, this may have been my last mammogram, so my early cancer might have developed into invasive cancer in my 70s.”
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Dr. Olga Strukowska, a consultant radiologist and director at the West Sussex Breast Screening Program, told SWNS that as AI in health care develops, it should “find its place within the breast screening program.”
“The earlier and more accurately we detect cancer, the better the chance our patients will have a positive outcome,” she said. “Using AI increases accuracy while reducing the number of missed cancers and lowering false positives.”
“My early cancer might have developed into invasive cancer in my 70s,” said Tooth, pictured here. (SWNS)
Dr. Harvey Castro, an ER physician and AI expert in Texas, described Tooth’s story as a “powerful testament to how AI transforms breast cancer detection and saves lives.”
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“Sheila’s story highlights the life-saving potential of combining human expertise with AI assistance,” he told Fox News Digital.
“It’s not about replacing radiologists, but empowering them to deliver the highest standard of care.”
The technology can offer a “second opinion that can lead to earlier diagnoses and better outcomes, especially in cases where cancer is subtle or hard to detect,” Castro went on.
“It’s not about replacing radiologists, but empowering them to deliver the highest standard of care.”
AI acts as a “safety net” in detecting breast cancer, “catching what the human eye might miss,” an expert said. (iStock)
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier agreed, noting that AI is transforming breast cancer detection by “enhancing our ability to spot subtle abnormalities that might be missed by the human eye.”
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“With faster and more accurate analysis of mammograms and other imaging, we can diagnose breast cancer earlier, giving patients a better chance for successful treatment and improved outcomes,” she told Fox News Digital.
Although AI is impressive, Saphier emphasized that the “true sweet spot” for accurate cancer diagnosis lies in the “synergy between the trained human eye and AI, where each complements the other’s strengths.”
“As we see with most advancements in technology, cost is often a limitation, so it will take convincing insurance companies to cover the additional cost of using AI to enhance cancer detection,” she added.
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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