Artificial Intelligence Playing Role in Diagnosing Breast Cancer

Medical technology has come a long way and AI is taking over the conversation.

Doctors are using the technology to better understand what's going on inside your body. Mercy Medical Center patient LaKristol Dennard comes in for her annual mammograms just like other women her age.

"Well, I have a history of having follow-up examinations because one of my breasts is considered dense, so I've been kind of like in the routine of expecting, I have to go in and follow up," Dennard said.

According to Evelyn A. May, M.D., a board certified diagnostic radiologist at the Tyanna O'Brien Center for Women's Imaging at Mercy, follow-up exams for women with dense breasts are common, but thanks to artificial intelligence or AI technology is assisting doctors in a way that maybe they couldn't see before.

"We read the mammogram the same way that we normally do, but we use AI to help us focus in specific areas of the breast that can potentially have risk breast cancer," Dr. May said.

According to Mercy, using AI during a mammogram significantly increases the chance to find breast cancer. For example, after a 3-dimensional scan, as Dr. May scrolls through the layers of the breast, AI spotlights an "area of concern" that would warrant further tests.

"So AI, as you know, learns. Right? The idea is that it learns on multiple patients and in the same patient. So, when we read the future mammograms of the patient, and also I can combine all imaging and new imaging to determine whether there's something new showing up. And it's particularly helpful in people with dense breast tissue because that's where cancer likes to hide," Dr. May explained.

Dennard said she's amazed at what this technology is capable of.

"It gave me relief and stress-free. I didn't have to worry. Dr. May eased my concerns. It's just been a wonderful experience here at Mercy," Dennard said

Dr. May described the new technology as a game changer. Doctors can now pinpoint cancers at very early stages when they are more easily treatable and curable.

View Mercy radiologist Dr. Evelyn May's interview regarding the use of AI in diagnosing breast cancer.