Commercially available AI increases breast cancer detection by nearly 20%
Results from the world’s largest prospective artificial intelligence study revealed that a commercially available AI system can improve breast cancer detection rates by nearly 20%.
Findings from the PRAIM (PRospective multicenter observational study of an integrated AI system with live Monitoring) study were published in Nature Medicine January 7. The trial was a collaboration between the University of Luebeck, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) in Germany and Vara, an AI company focused on improving breast cancer detection and streamlining workflows related to screening.
The PRAIM trial utilized data from more than 460,000 women who were screened for breast cancer across 12 sites in Germany. It compared the detection performances of AI-supported double reading (radiologist/AI combo) and standard double reads completed by radiologists only. Its results suggest that not only does AI assistance increase cancer detection, it does so without negatively impacting false positive rates.
With AI assistance, cancer detection rates were 17.6% higher in comparison to standard double reads. AI-support resulted in 15% fewer false positives and its positive predictive value for both recalls and biopsies was superior to standard double reading methods as well.
“Our initial aim was to demonstrate that AI-based evaluations are equivalent to human assessments,” Dr. Alexander Katalinic, principal investigator and Director of the Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Luebeck and UKSH, Campus Luebeck, noted in a release on the findings. “However, the findings exceeded our expectations: AI significantly improves breast cancer detection rates.”
“The PRAIM study highlights the immense potential of AI to enhance screening programs worldwide. This evidence will elevate discussions about integrating AI into healthcare systems to a new level,” Stefan Bunk, chief technology officer of Vara, added later.
The team emphasized the importance of their results with respect to integrating AI into breast cancer screening practices. In the future, the team plans to study how the use of AI support affects long-term patient outcomes.
The full study is available here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.