The AI program developed by Google Health tested on mammograms of UK and US women, has been reported as better at spotting breast cancer than expert radiologists. It ignored the features in images that doctors otherwise falsely flag as possible tumours. This is a solid demonstration of how technology can enable and augment the human expert.
Crux of the Matter
A global team, including researchers from Google Health and Imperial College London, designed and trained a computer model on X-ray images from nearly 29,000 women.
The AI analysed mammograms in three different ways before combing the results to produce an overall risk score.
Dominic King, the UK lead at Google, said that it’s analogous to the AI system saying ‘I think there may be an issue here, do you want to check?’
In the US, women who go for breast cancer screening tend to be seen every one or two years and their mammograms are examined by a single radiologist. On the other hand, AI produced 5.7% fewer false positives and 9.4% fewer false negatives.
If the program proves its worth in clinical trials, it could make breast screening more effective and take away the burden from health services like NHS, where radiologists are in short supply.
Curiopedia
Breast Cancer, is a cancer that develops in breast cells. Typically, the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast. Lobules are the glands that produce milk, and ducts are the pathways that bring the milk from the glands to the nipple. Cancer can also occur in the fatty tissue or the fibrous connective tissue within your breast. The uncontrolled cancer cells often invade other healthy breast tissue and can travel to the lymph nodes under the arms. The lymph nodes are a primary pathway, that help the cancer cells move to other parts of the body. More Info
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