Latest news with #mammogram
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
FDA approves first AI tool to predict breast cancer risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first artificial intelligence (AI) tool to predict breast cancer risk. The authorization was confirmed by digital health tech company Clairity, the developer of Clairity Breast – a novel, image-based prognostic platform designed to predict five-year breast cancer risk from a routine screening mammogram. In a press release, Clairity shared its plans to launch the AI platform across health systems through 2025. Most risk assessment models for breast cancer rely heavily on age and family history, according to Clairity. However, about 85% of cases occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer, likely stemming from genetic mutations that occur because of aging, health agencies report. Traditional risk models have also been built on data from predominantly European Caucasian women, which Clairity said has not been "generalized well" to diverse backgrounds. The AI tool analyzes subtle images from a screening mammogram that correlate with breast cancer risk, then generates a "validated five-year risk score" and delivers it to healthcare providers, the company noted. Dr. Connie Lehman, Clairity founder and breast imaging specialist at Mass General Brigham, stressed the importance of mammograms in early cancer detection. "Now, advancements in AI and computer vision can uncover hidden clues in the mammograms – invisible to the human eye – to help predict future risk," she said in a press release. "By delivering validated, equitable risk assessments, we can help expand access to life-saving early detection and prevention for women everywhere." Dr. Robert A. Smith, senior vice president of early cancer detection science at the American Cancer Society, also commented in a statement that personalized, risk-based screening is "critical to improving breast cancer outcomes, and AI tools offer us the best opportunity to fulfill that potential." "This is the wave of the future. AI is going to be part of the equation, but it's not going to take over." "Clairity's FDA authorization is a turning point for more women to access the scientific advances of AI-driven cancer risk prediction," Larry Norton, founding scientific director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, wrote in another statement. "Breast cancer is rising, especially among younger women, yet most risk models often miss those who will develop the disease," he said. "Now we can ensure more women get the right care at the right time." More than 2.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year, including more than 370,000 in the U.S., despite "decades of progress," according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Cases have particularly been on the rise among younger women under the age of 50. In a Tuesday appearance on "America's Newsroom," Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel called Clairity's development "profound." "Just looking at a mammogram … sometimes [radiologists] will see things that aren't clear, they have to follow it over time," he said. "AI improves how focused and how predictive it is, [shown] very dramatically in studies." Siegel confirmed that radiologists across the country are generally in support of leveraging AI for cancer detection, especially in areas of the country that are "underserved" in terms of healthcare. For more Health articles, visit "In areas where you're relying on radiologists without special training, this is even more important," he said. "This is the wave of the future. AI is going to be part of the equation, but it's not going to take over."
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
ACT, NT, Queensland and Tasmania yet to include breast density reports as part of routine mammograms
Canberra woman Jenny Edwards feels very lucky. This year her routine mammogram showed a few small white spots, prompting a call for her to come back for a better look. A 3D scan and ultrasound found a small tumour, and also revealed Ms Edwards had high breast density. "I had no idea I had dense breasts, [or that they] were hiding various lumps," she said. "As well as a tumour in my left breast I had two fibroadenomas — which are other sorts of benign lumps — and in my right breast I had a cyst. Ms Edwards is now undergoing radiation treatment, and said she was lucky those few white spots were caught at all, particularly given her dense breasts and the fact she had no known family history of breast cancer. Breast density refers to the amount of glandular and connective tissue in the breast, compared to fatty tissue, as seen on a mammogram. High breast density not only makes breast cancer harder to detect through routine 2D mammography, but is also an independent risk factor for developing breast cancer. BreastScreen Australia is the national screening program, jointly funded by the federal, state and territory governments, to provide free mammograms through state-run services. There have long been calls for BreastScreen Australia to change its national policy not to record participants' breast density, nor report it to them. Last week, BreastScreen Australia updated its policy to recommend that everyone screened be informed in writing of their breast density, and encouraged to have further discussions with their GP about additional screening options. But currently only New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia measure and report breast density. Breast Cancer Network Australia's Vicki Durston said a person's access to potentially lifesaving information about their breast density and cancer risk shouldn't be dependent on where they lived. "We need every state and territory to act now to provide this information, along with clear pathways for supporting women at higher risk. "The progress being made elsewhere shows timely implementation is both achievable and beneficial for women." In a statement, the ACT government said it was "working on plans to introduce recording and reporting of breast density following mammograms", but it did not have a timeline for implementation. On their websites, BreastScreen Queensland says it's "actively working towards statewide implementation of breast density recording and reporting", while BreastScreen NT says breast density will be included in results by 2026. Kym Berchtenbreiter, who has lived experience with breast cancer, said if she had known she had dense breasts when she received a negative mammogram result her outcome may not have been as severe. "If I'd known that I had extremely dense breasts … I could have looked into the possibility of having supplemental screening, and perhaps my outcome might not have been as severe as it was," Ms Berchtenbreiter said. "[Instead] within 12 months of that negative result I was subsequently diagnosed with early breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and years of hormone blocking treatment. "But I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm still here to tell this story. "There are others who are not that fortunate because interval cancers got missed in a screening." Ms Berchtenbreiter said it was important to inform people of their breast density because looking for a tumour in very dense breast tissue was "a bit like looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm". "It's vital that women are informed about their breast density, so they can make informed decisions about supplemental screening options," she said. "We are so fortunate to have a breast screening program in Australia but let's make it even better, and save more lives, by having a national commitment to reporting breast density." Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show last year 58 people were diagnosed with breast cancer every day in Australia, most of them women. The AIHW estimated 3,272 women and 36 men — or one in nine Australians — died from breast cancer in 2024. National Breast Cancer Foundation CEO Cleola Anderiesz said nobody could tell their own breast density. "The size of your breast, or how firm or not firm your breast feels, doesn't give you any indication of your breast density. It has to be detected through a mammogram," Ms Anderiesz said. "What it measures is the relative amount of dense breast tissue — so glandular and connective tissue, which actually appears white on the mammogram — compared to non-dense — or fatty — tissue, which appears dark." She said early detection was critical to improving outcomes from a breast cancer diagnosis. "For example if your breast cancer is diagnosed at what we call stage one, where it's still confined to your breast, your five-year survival outcomes are actually 100 per cent. "So it's a really important thing for women to be informed about because they can then have a shared conversation with their GP or their breast specialist about their level of risk of developing breast cancer — and ultimately that knowledge is power." Ms Edwards said her message to others who didn't know if they had dense breasts was to "go get screened". "I've got an adult daughter who now, because of her family history, I suspect also has dense breasts. "It would be good to know that so she can monitor things earlier than the free mammograms, which kick in at 40."
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
MEIKE LEONARD: Four in ten women can develop breast cancer that WON'T show up on scans. Here's how to find out if you're at risk
A breast cancer diagnosis almost always comes as a shock. But when Patricia Copestake was told she had the disease, she had every reason to be more stunned than most. Just a couple of months earlier, the 57-year-old mother-of-seven had attended a routine mammogram – an X-ray scan offered to all women aged 50 to 70 every three years to detect early-stage breast cancer – and had been given the all-clear.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Making Mammograms Automatic – Unintended Consequences Of A Behavioral Economic Intervention
SEVILLE ANDALUSIA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 19: A lady with the help of a nurse gets a mammogram. (Photo By ... More Eduardo Briones/Europa Press via Getty Images) The experiment was simple. A group of behaviorally-minded researchers tested whether patients are more likely to receive mammograms when those tests are automatically scheduled (meaning they can opt out if they want) versus when they have to opt in for the tests. The researchers predicted that people who have to opt out of the test will be much more likely to receive it. Lots of research shows that when you turn a behavior into a default, things are more likely to happen. Automatically max people's retirement contributions and people are more likely to…maximize their retirement contributions (even though they could opt out of this option). Make the James Bond theme song the default ring tone, and lots of people will hear that theme song when their phone rings, the default option becoming their 'choice.' Inertia is a powerful force. Add to that the importance of mammography, and automatically scheduling mammograms should significantly increase use of that test, a great outcome with no apparent downside. Except that's not what happened. Here's why. In the study, which was led by Leah Marcotte a physician at the University of Washington, the research team randomized over 800 women mammography into one of two groups: To my surprise, the opt out intervention did not work as predicted. It did not increase the number of women receiving mammograms, with 15% of women receiving mammograms regardless of whether they were in the opt out or the opt in group. You might think 'no harm, no foul.,' that the opt out intervention did not increase screening but did not reduce it either. But the intervention backfired in one meaningful way – it created lots of work for healthcare providers handling mammography appointments. In the opt in group, 5% of women scheduled mammograms and then canceled their appointments; in the opt out group, the cancellation rate was 24%. This well conducted study is hardly a death knell for opt out interventions, which have proven to work in many healthcare and nonhealthcare settings. Instead, it is a reminder that a host of other factors – populations, organizations, finances – potentially alter the impact of behavioral interventions. We should not assume we know how behavioral interventions will influence the people we are trying to help. Instead, we should expose those interventions to rigorous tests. Kudos to to Marcotte and her team for doing so, and for reminding us to expose behavioral interventions to the rigors of science.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Julia Bradbury praises breast cancer study
Television presenter Julia Bradbury has said a new study which concluded women with very dense breasts should be offered additional scans "could not come soon enough". The 54-year-old, who was best known for presenting BBC One's Countryfile, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 after a year and a half of tests. A study led by the University of Cambridge said that other scans - not just traditional mammograms - could treble the number of cancers detected in these women. "It is like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm, so this research could not come soon enough," Bradbury said. Bradbury said she "found a lump" when she was travelling and got it checked. After having a mammogram, Bradbury said she was "advised there was nothing to worry about". "I was sitting in the chair about to leave the office with my consultant," she recalled. "He said I am going to give you another ultrasound before you leave. "Thank goodness I had that consultant." Bradbury said a 6cm (2.4in) lump was found during the ultrasound, and she was sent for further tests. "When I was having the biopsy I knew in my heart there was something seriously wrong, and those were the first tears I shed. "I then had that horrible conversation of you have got cancer." The trial, co-ordinated from Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, tested different scanning methods on women with very dense breasts who had only been given a mammogram and had originally been told they did not have cancer. More than 9,000 women were involved in the study. About one in 10 women have very dense breasts and have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers said the cancers were harder to spot as they look whiter on the X-rays, the same colour as early-stage cancers. "I did not think there was anything untoward about having dense breasts. However, there is a slight risk of breast cancer," added Bradbury, speaking to the BBC this week. The Department of Health and Social Care said its screening advisory body had been looking at ways to improve detection rates in women with very dense breasts for a number of years. It said it would be reviewing the findings of this trial, but it was determined to "fight cancer on all fronts" to improve survival rates. A new national cancer plan for England is expected to be published later this year. "This study has show that thousands of undetected cancers could be caught," Bradbury said. "We have to try and be our own advocates and understand our body a little bit more." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Call for NHS to give women with dense breasts extra cancer scans Permanent home approved for cancer support centre Breast cancer survivors 'at risk' of second illness University of Cambridge Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
