AI-Assisted Visual Inspection for Cervical Cancer Screening in Rwanda

Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in low- and middle-income countries. Early detection through screening can significantly reduce mortality, yet many regions lack access to trained medical professionals and laboratory infrastructure required for conventional screening methods such as Pap smears.

Artificial Intelligence can support cervical cancer screening by analysing images captured during visual inspection procedures. In many screening programs, healthcare workers use portable devices or smartphone cameras to capture images of the cervix after applying acetic acid (a procedure known as Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid – VIA). AI models trained on large datasets of cervical images can analyse these photographs and identify patterns associated with precancerous lesions.

For additional context and detailed documentation of this use case, please refer to pages 23-30 in the attached Casebook.