Alibaba's new AI, PANDA, spots deadly pancreatic cancer early—with 93% accuracy
Alibaba's PANDA AI can now catch pancreatic cancer super early—just from non-contrast CT scans and without extra radiation.
Launched in November 2024, it targets PDAC, a tough cancer that kills about half a million people every year.
Why is everyone talking about PANDA?
PANDA uses cutting-edge tech to find tiny tumors that even trained radiologists sometimes miss.
In real-world tests on over 20,000 patients, it was more accurate than human experts—scoring nearly 93% sensitivity and almost perfect specificity.
It can also tell the difference between cancer and lookalike conditions like cysts or pancreatitis.
What does this mean for patients?
Early detection means better chances of survival. PANDA has already flagged hidden cancers in routine scans—helping doctors catch them before they spread.
After screening over 70,000 people in China, it's now getting fast-tracked by the FDA for use in the US.
This could make life-saving diagnosis much more common—and a lot less scary—for everyone.