In the past few years, Artificial Intelligence in mammography has seen a rapid increase in popularity. As a highly sought-after innovation in medtech, AI in mammography can be seen highlighted in the news, featured at major radiology conferences and tradeshows, and even has scientific magazines devoted solely to this technology.
Why is AI in mammography so popular? The answer lies in the significant value that this technology brings to diagnosis and patient care. From confidence in diagnosis to increased productivity, here are 6 benefits of AI in mammography.
1. AI provides a more confident diagnosis
Every mammogram puts the radiologist in the hot seat – he or she must decide whether or not to recall a patient for additional scans or to conclude that the reading is normal. These choices can have an enormous impact not only on a woman’s life but also on a doctor’s career and the clinic’s reputation.
Artificial Intelligence provides mammogram readers with a second opinion of the diagnosis, supporting them in making this highly consequential decision. Radiologists are not alone anymore–having AI as a safety net helps boost their confidence.
2. AI increases productivity
Radiologists spend an incredible amount of time scrutinizing mammography screenings on healthy women (only 5 screening mammograms out of 1,000 contain cancers). By detecting and characterizing abnormalities on mammograms, or indicating their absence, AI-based algorithms allow breast imagers to move faster through cancer-free cases and give more attention to the images with suspicious findings. The result? More mammogram reading sessions that finish on time.
3. AI mitigates burnout
Strained to read a large volume of images in a short time, radiologists consistently operate under pressure – and the cost of an error is too high to make mistakes. The same holds true for the perceived risk of malpractice lawsuits. Stress levels are high.
An AI-powered tool can help bring breast specialists peace of mind. It indicates if something was missed on a mammogram, letting the radiologist double-check his/her judgment. Whereas radiologists’ performance tends to decrease after 70 or 80 minutes of reading, AI never gets tired and has consistent performance. Through the use of AI in mammography, radiologists can feel assured and less anxious during their shifts.
4. AI augments accuracy
Interpreting screening mammograms might be challenging even for the most experienced specialists, not to say for the young doctors. It might be quite difficult not to overlook subtle cancers, especially in breast images of dense breasts.
Artificial intelligence solutions enable radiologists to focus on suspicious areas, lowering false-negative and false-positive rates. Some AI, like MammoScreen™, do not only highlight lesions requiring more attention but also characterize them, giving a score depending on the probability of malignancy and reflecting AI’s confidence level in its judgment.
5. AI provides earlier detection of breast cancer
Sometimes to detect cancer, radiologists go back to analyzing prior scans only to discover that the abnormality was already present on the patient’s mammogram several years ago, though hardly visible.
By using artificial intelligence in mammograms, cancers can be detected up to 2 years earlier than human experts. Earlier detection means earlier treatment and a higher likelihood of saved lives.
6. AI supports improved patient care
The possibility of receiving a false-positive or false-negative and long wait times to receive their exam results are among some of the reasons that prevent women from going through a routine mammography screening.
Out of 1,000 women, about 95 are asked to undergo additional exams to rule out cancer. Such recalls lead to stress and anxiety. The prevalence of false-negative rate in mammography is approximately 8-10% and has even more serious consequences such as delayed treatment. When AI is used in mammography, it can help improve screening accuracy and provide accurate results to women faster.
We would love to show you the benefits of using AI in mammography. Sign up for a free demo to see how MammoScreen can improve your clinical radiology practice, mitigate burnout and provide next-level patient experiences.