Experts from the region's biggest hospital have revealed how artificial intelligence could have a key role in play in helping diagnose cancer patients.

One in five people are estimated to get skin cancer at some stage in their life, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in England.

Zoe Venables, a clinical associate professor at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, is a leading figure in researching the form of cancer.

And she says that the hospital is embracing the ever-advancing technology in its efforts to research the condition.

Eastern Daily Press: Dr Zoe Venables from NNUHDr Zoe Venables from NNUH (Image: NNUH)

She said: "During the Covid-19 pandemic, we understood how important healthcare statistics are to highlight where we should focus our energy and funding for research, service funding and education.

"We are beginning to realise the importance of big data and its potential with artificial intelligence in the future.

"There are tools being developed to use such databases and AI to enhance diagnosis of skin cancer through analysis of photos, but also reviewing histology, microscopic photos and using AI in large healthcare datasets to identify clusters of poor outcomes and trends not previously identified."

Dr Venables added that changes in how we are being exposed to the sun and the ageing population have meant different types of skin cancer are becoming more prevalent.

She said: "Melanoma is the skin cancer more people might know about, which often looks like a changing or new mole, but we are also seeing an increasing number of non-melanoma skin cancers, which usually appear as a lump, ulcer, scab or discoloured patch of skin.

"It is really important to protect your skin from a young age as skin cancer is caused by the cumulative damage of sun exposure and people tend to develop problems as they get older.

"Non-melanoma skin cancer is much more common than melanoma, but if it is caught early, most people survive it and it is easily treated."