Breast cancer is the largest contributor to cancer deaths in women in Malaysia. Among the issues faced is that cancer is detected late due to lack of awareness to get screened. Breast cancer can now be detected more accurately with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a study by scientists who presented their research to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) this week.
According to the researchers, AI can detect the presence of cancer through mammography scans at a rate of 21% higher than if only humans were used. Among the 747,604 women who underwent mammography screening in a year, the presence of cancer was 43% higher among those who chose to have the scan processed by AI.
The analysis using AI is currently given as an option with patients having to pay for it themselves in the United States. However, the number of patients choosing to do so increased by 36% last year.
The data shows how AI can be used by medical practitioners to assist in the process of detecting breast cancer, especially in situations where the scan is not very clear. Early detection can ensure that treatment can be given earlier before it is too late.
We previously reported that AI developed by Google can detect the presence of breast cancer with higher accuracy than human radiologists, while Microsoft has developed AI that detects cervical cancer.