According to Breast Cancer Now, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK – about 55,000 women are diagnosed every year, and although it’s exponentially less common in men, about 400 men are affected too.
Undeniably, the statistics are staggering. One in every 10 women is diagnosed every 10 minutes, with more than 150 new cases every single day.
Although the UK’s breast cancer mortality rates have decreased over the last decade, there are still roughly 12,000 deaths every year that occur as a result of breast cancer.
And, despite the fact that there are different types of breast cancer and levels of severity, many of these cases may potentially be prevented if they had been identified earlier.
That’s why early detection is so important, and in order to increase early detection, medical practitioners and members of charitable organisations are putting a great deal of effort into creating awareness about the disease.
The more people who are aware of the risks of breast cancer and how to identify early signs, the more people will receive diagnoses before it’s too late.
A lot of this is about encouraging women to go for regular mammograms and conduct breast self-examinations at home.
In addition, however, there are also several types of modern technology that are contributing to both breast cancer research and innovation in detection.
One of the most exciting new developments in breast cancer technology is the use of artificial intelligence.
AI and Breast Cancer Detection Tech
A great deal of time, money and expertise has gone into researching cancer, developing treatments and looking for a potential cure. And, the newest innovation in breast cancer research and technology is the way in which artificial technology is being used to increase early detection.
For a little while now, AI programmes have been used to analyse medical imaging – the programmes are given specific anomalies to look out for, so to speak, and they create alerts when anything out of the ordinary is detected.
These days, however, modern AI technology has been developed to work specifically with mammograms and other breast imaging. Sometimes, breast cancer can be difficult to identify, so the purpose of AI is to be able to detect cancer in cases in which radiologists may not have been able to see it.
This makes it a great tool to be used alongside experienced radiologists and medical practitioners, increasing the overall chances of detection.
One of the most useful applications of AI breast cancer detection technology, however, is its ability to potentially identify patients who haven’t yet developed cancer but are at risk of developing it in the future.
Of course, some forms of breast cancer are genetic, so there are tests doctors can do to evaluate the likelihood of a patient getting sick – especially if a family member has had breast cancer in the past.
However, AI technology has become useful in identifying risk in patients who would otherwise not have known that they have a higher chance than normal of developing cancer. This is something that’s been significantly more difficult to do in the past, and as a result, has the potential to save a great deal of lives and help women avoid ever even getting very sick.
One of the biggest issues, especially with forms of breast cancer that occur quickly and aggressively, is that patients may develop the cancer in between mammograms. Normally, women from about 35 to 40 years and older are advised to have annual mammograms, but it’s totally possible for breast cancer to develop within a year.
Normally, it can still be treated, but with more aggressive forms of the disease, it may already be too late, meaning that if it had been detected earlier, a life may have been spared.
Increasing Breast Cancer Awareness and Improving Early Detection
With breast cancer being such a frighteningly common disease, the potential to improve early detection may very well help many people, mostly women, all around the world, saving lives and preventing patients from having to go through painful and difficult treatments.
Indeed, AI detection technology is an exciting innovation in the medical world, but in order for it to be effective – or even used – it’s still imperative that awareness regarding the risks of breast cancer is increased.
So, this October, International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to encourage both men and women alike to really consider the prevalence and risks of breast cancer and make a concerted effort to not only go for regular mammograms but encourage friends and family to do the same.
