AI = Faster cancer screening

Faster cancer screening? New AI system offers a better way to detect abnormal cells

February 23, 2026
9:48 pm

One way cancer specialists detect the disease is by examining cells and bodily fluids under a microscope, a time-consuming and labor-intensive process called cytology. It involves visually inspecting tens of thousands to one million cells per slide for subtle 3D morphological changes that might signal the onset of cancer. But AI offers an approach that is potentially faster and more accurate.

In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers demonstrate an AI-powered 3D scanning system that can automatically sort through samples and identify abnormal cells with performance approaching that of human experts.

Building digital models

The team developed a system called Whole-Slide Edge Tomography, which uses a scanner to capture a series of images at different depths to create a 3D digital model of every cell on a slide.

Faster cancer screening? New AI system offers a better way to detect abnormal cells

Building digital models

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