'AI Diagnosed My Cancer Before Doctors Did': Woman Credits ChatGPT for Life-Saving Insight

A North Carolina and US Virgin Islands resident who divides her time between the two has credited ChatGPT with a "hidden cancer" that ultimately saved her life, a Mirror report stated. She claimed that doctors dismissed her symptoms as having rheumatoid arthritis and acid reflux.

Lauren Bannon, a 40-year-old woman, began experiencing extreme stomach pain and rapid weight loss. She was given medical advice but was misdiagnosed, she says. Trying to get answers, Bannon asked ChatGPT for advice.

The chatbot told her that she might have Hashimoto's disease, and this prompted her to request her doctors give her a thyroid test. Although they initially dismissed the idea, further testing revealed two small growths in her neck. These growths were later diagnosed as cancerous. Bannon now credits the AI program with having saved her life.

"I was frustrated with doctors," Bannon said. "It was like they were just trying to write you a prescription to get you in and out the door. I was desperate to know what was happening, but I wasn't getting any information."

Bannon, a marketing professional, continued, "That's when I decided to try ChatGPT.". I have used it previously for work, so I started typing in symptoms such as rheumatoid arthritis. ChatGPT informed me that I might have Hashimoto's disease and that I should have my doctor check my thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO) levels. When I brought it up with my doctor, she told me that I couldn't have it because there was no family history, but I got her at least to test me.

She explained that despite not feeling usual Hashimoto signs like fatigue, she was happy that her persistence on further testing led to the discovery of cancer while it was in its early phase. "Had I not queried on ChatGPT, I would have merely prescribed rheumatoid arthritis medication, and the cancer would have advanced," she said.

Bannon also expressed gratitude to the early diagnosis, saying, "The doctor told me I was very lucky to have caught it so early. I'm sure that if it wasn't for ChatGPT, the cancer would have set in." She now urges others to use the AI app for medical conditions. "I would recommend others attempt ChatGPT for their illness—use restraint, but if it suggests you should attempt it, have your doctors test it. It couldn't possibly harm. I'm extremely grateful to be alive."