AI use in mammography shows initial success in early cancer detection

A study by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) shows that AI-assisted mammography can enhance early cancer detection. More than one-third of women at ten medical practices opted to pay for AI screening programs themselves. The AI-supported examinations found 21 percent more cancer cases compared to standard screenings. In the AI-supported version, FDA-approved software analyzes the mammograms. An expert reviews cases where the AI and the first examiner reach different conclusions. Among 747,604 examined women, those who participated in AI screening showed a 43 percent higher detection rate—21 percent from the AI itself, and 22 percent because more high-risk patients signed up. The researchers presented their findings at the RSNA annual meeting. According to the team, the data indicates that many women want to use AI to improve their screening results, and that combining AI with safety verification leads to higher cancer detection rates.