How AI Technology Is Shaping the Future of Breast Cancer Detection

SI Swimsuit spoke with Dr. Sean Raj, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at SimonMed, to learn about the potentially life-saving innovation.

Ashley Graham was photographed by Yu Tsai in Fiji. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among U.S. women. This October, SI Swimsuit is committed to providing resources for breast cancer patients while sharing the stories of warriors who have been impacted by the disease. For more information, click here.

While mammograms are widely known as being the best tools to diagnosis and treat early breast cancer, advances in artificial intelligence just may help radiologists find the disease sooner. Rather than replacing the skill of a trained radiologist, AI technology instead can serve as a secondary measure to hone in on the disease in its earlier stages.

SI Swimsuit chatted with Dr. Sean Raj, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at SimonMed, a comprehensive imaging center with locations throughout the U.S., to learn more about this advancement in technology.

Dr. Sean Raj / Courtesy of Dr. Sean Raj

What is an AI-enhanced mammogram?

“AI  technology is a tool that acts like a second set of eyes that helps our specialty trained radiologists find cancers earlier,” Dr. Raj explains. “At SimonMed, we’re proud to be one of the few places nationwide, coast to coast, that [offers] this AI technology on all of our 3D mammograms at no additional cost. That is the baseline mammogram—we put AI on every single mammogram. For those who want deeper insights, we have created the Mammogram+ program, which adds in AI-powered risk scoring, AI-powered density evaluation and lesion detection.”

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What are the costs associated with an AI-enhanced mammogram?

As the technology was launched in July through SimonMed clinics nationwide, the Mammogram+ program is not yet covered by insurance, which Dr. Raj notes is typical of new advacements. However, the Mammogram+ program is available for a $50 self-pay add-on for patients who are being screened for their annual mammogram.

The benefits of AI-enhanced mammography

One of the biggest advantages of SimonMed’s AI-enhanced mammography tool is the ability for radiologists to create an actionable follow-up plan catered to each individual based on the findings of her mammogram.

“Just like athletes, for example, tailor their training to their individual strengths and weaknesses, medicine is also moving toward tailoring with prevention based on a woman’s personal risk profile,” Dr. Raj explains. “So that means considering things like age, density and [lifetime] risk. Now we can harness all of these silos of information, use AI, synthesize it, use our expert radiologist and deliver an individualized screening plan, just like an individualized training plan that an athlete would follow.”

With AI serving as a second set of eyes on a mammogram, there’s a higher likelihood of catching early signs of breast cancer, particularly in women with dense breasts. Approximately half of women age 40 and up have dense breasts, according to Dr. Raj, and having dense breast tissue is associated with a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer, as it is more difficult to spot with mammography.

“ We believe education is so powerful and that’s why we’ve created these SimonMed enhanced reports,” Dr. Raj says. “So now women, when they leave our centers, are getting these really, really simple to understand reports.  In the next month or so, all women will have a digital, Instagram-like report that they’ll receive via text message within minutes of their mammogram being signed because we want women to understand their breast health and we want them to be the best custodians of their health. Meaning, ‘I am now empowered, I understand my risk, I understand my identity’ and it’s not just enough to understand it, but it’s ‘What can I do next?’”

The potential downsides of AI-enhanced mammography

As with any test, AI does not insure 100% accuracy. And since the technology is fairly new in a mammography setting, there are certainly potential drawbacks. For example, the possibility for the technology to read a false positive, the lack of existing research and data to prove efficiency, and often a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in data. Additionally, the limited availability in AI-assisted mammography currently available to patients throughout the U.S. puts constraints on the technology being more widely accessible.

A potentially prosperous future

SimonMed imaging is proud to offer advanced mammography technology to patients, as the ability to spot cancer before symptoms present themselves can be life-saving. Dr. Raj points out that with approximately one in six breast cancers occurring in women between the ages of 40 and 49, it is critical to stay on top of annual testing as soon as you hit the recommended age (if not earlier for those who are high-risk).

“ This is a population of women that are the centers of universes: mothers to young children, daughters to aging parents, sisters, best friends, like the nucleus of families. It is so critical that we educate and empower the women that come to see us, and we give these AI insights and easy to understand reports so they can make the best decisions for the healthiest life they can live.”

For those who are putting off scheduling their annual mammogram, Dr. Raj urges women to make the call today—taking charge of your breast health just may end up saving your life.

“When you get your first mammogram, you’re going to learn so much about your breast health and that will completely change the trajectory for how your relationship is with breast cancer screening and early detection for the rest of your life,” he says.

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