The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in breast cancer screening is delivering breakthroughs that doctors may miss. In Hungary, where there is a robust breast cancer screening program, AI systems are helping to check for signs of cancer that a radiologist may have overlooked.
Early results have shown that the technology is able to spot cancer as well as human radiologists, providing a tangible sign of how AI can improve public health. Five hospitals and clinics in Hungary are already using the technology on real patients, performing over 35,000 screenings per year.
According to The New York Times, the widespread use of cancer detection technology still faces many hurdles. Additional clinical trials are required before the systems can be more widely adopted as an automated second or third reader of breast cancer screens. The tool must also demonstrate its ability to produce accurate results on women of all ages, ethnicities, and body types. Additionally, the technology must be able to recognize more complex forms of breast cancer and cut down on false positives that are not cancerous, radiologists said.
The use of AI tools has also prompted a debate about whether they will replace human radiologists. Makers of the technology face regulatory scrutiny and resistance from some doctors and health institutions. However, for now, these fears appear overblown, with many experts saying the technology will be effective and trusted by patients only if it is used in partnership with trained doctors.
Ultimately, AI could be lifesaving, as per Dr. László Tabár, a leading mammography educator in Europe. He said he was won over by the technology after reviewing its performance in breast cancer screening from several vendors. “I’m dreaming about the day when women are going to a breast cancer center and they are asking, ‘Do you have AI or not?’” he said.
In 2020, there were 2.3 million breast cancer diagnoses and 685,000 deaths from the disease, according to the World Health Organization. The use of AI in breast cancer screening could help to significantly reduce these numbers. The technology behind AI is modeled on how the human brain processes information from different sources.
It is what is used to identify people and animals in images posted to apps like Google Photos and allows Siri and Alexa to recognize the words people speak. Neural networks also drove the new wave of chatbots like ChatGPT. Many AI evangelists believed that such technology could easily be applied to detect illness and disease, like breast cancer in a mammogram.
Kheiron Medical Technologies, a London-based startup, has been leading the charge in the development of AI for breast cancer screening. Co-founded by Peter Kecskemethy and Tobias Rijken, Kheiron’s AI system has collected more than five million historical mammograms of patients whose diagnoses were already known, provided by clinics in Hungary and Argentina, as well as academic institutions such as Emory University.
The company also pays 12 radiologists to label images using special software that teaches the AI to spot a cancerous growth by its shape, density, location, and other factors.
From the millions of cases the system is fed, the technology creates a mathematical representation of normal mammograms and those with cancers. With this information, the system can identify areas that may be problematic for a radiologist to detect. If the AI flags an area as potentially cancerous, radiologists can take a closer look and order a biopsy if necessary.
AI technology for breast cancer screening is still in its infancy, but it has shown promise in improving the accuracy of cancer detection. As more clinical trials are conducted and the technology continues to evolve, the use of AI in breast cancer screening could become a standard practice in clinics and hospitals worldwide.
