On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted “Breakthrough Medical Device” designation to DAMO PANDA — an AI model developed by Alibaba’s DAMO Academy for pancreatic cancer screening. This is the first time a large AI model has received this recognition from the FDA.

The achievement is significant: pancreatic cancer kills because it’s found too late. Over 80% of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages when curative surgery is no longer possible. DAMO PANDA aims to change that — by detecting pancreatic cancer from routine, non-contrast CT scans before symptoms even appear.

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What Makes DAMO PANDA Different

Traditional pancreatic cancer screening requires dedicated imaging protocols — contrast-enhanced CT, MRI, or endoscopic ultrasound. These are expensive, time-consuming, and not routinely performed in asymptomatic populations.

DAMO PANDA works on plain (non-contrast) CT scans — the kind that millions of people get every year during routine health checkups. The AI analyzes these standard scans to identify subtle lesions that the human eye might miss.

Key performance metrics:

• Sensitivity: 92.9% — correctly identifies 93 out of 100 pancreatic cancer cases
• Specificity: 99.9% — false positive rate of only 0.1%

This combination of high sensitivity and near-perfect specificity is what makes the model clinically viable for population-level screening.

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”AI Saved His Life”

The New York Times reported on cases in China where patients had routine CT scans analyzed by DAMO PANDA, which flagged early-stage pancreatic abnormalities that radiologists had initially overlooked. These patients received timely treatment and improved outcomes — cases that would likely have been diagnosed months or years later under standard protocols.

The technology is already deployed in hospitals and health screening centers across Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other Chinese provinces. It has been integrated into routine health checkup workflows at several institutions.

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Beyond Pancreatic Cancer: “One Scan, Multiple Diseases”

DAMO Academy is developing a “one scan, multiple diseases” approach — using a single plain CT scan to simultaneously screen for:

• Pancreatic cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Gastric cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Liver cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Fatty liver disease
• Aortic syndrome

Several of these models have already achieved research breakthroughs, and many are accessible via Alibaba Cloud APIs for physicians and institutions.

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Global Recognition

• April 2025: FDA Breakthrough Medical Device designation — first for a large AI model
• May 2024: WHO Digital Health Collaboration Center announced global promotion of this Chinese AI technology at the UN AI for Good Summit in Geneva
• 2024: DAMO Academy partnered with WHO to help developing countries fight cancer through AI-assisted screening

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What This Means for Patients

For international patients considering pancreatic cancer screening in China:

• Non-invasive: Uses standard CT scans — no additional procedures needed
• Population-scale: Designed for mass screening, not just high-risk patients
• Already in use: Deployed in hospitals and screening centers across Shanghai and other cities
• Low cost: Many institutions offer AI-assisted screening as part of routine health checkup packages
• Complementary: AI screening can identify candidates for early intervention, but positive findings still require follow-up with contrast-enhanced imaging and specialist consultation

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Based on reporting by 第一财经 (Yicai) and the New York Times. Last updated: May 2026. This article does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with your physician regarding cancer screening decisions.