Laurie Margolies, MD, a radiologist who is Chief of Breast Imaging at the Dubin Breast Center and Vice Chair, Breast Imaging, Mount Sinai Health System
More and more people are getting mammograms as the population ages, as more younger people are choosing to get screened, and as the benefits of accurate screening and early detection of breast cancer remain clear.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, except for skin cancer. Each year, about 240,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women (and about 2,100 in men), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In response to this growing need, Mount Sinai has expanded its network of breast imaging sites, and has deployed a new tool: artificial intelligence.
In this Q&A, Laurie Margolies, MD, a radiologist who is Chief of Breast Imaging at the Dubin Breast Center and Vice Chair, Breast Imaging, Mount Sinai Health System, explains how radiologists at the Mount Sinai Breast Cancer of Excellence for Breast Cancer are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to achieve a more precise diagnosis, which allows surgeons and oncologists to start the right treatment sooner, giving patients the best possible outcome.
How does AI help patients in the diagnosis of breast cancer?
AI is a new tool that gives a second opinion on a mammogram. It assists the radiologist, it does not replace the radiologist. It’s like having a very well trained senior fellow sitting next to you. Multiple studies have shown that when you have radiologists working with AI, you find more breast cancers, and often smaller cancers. What’s great about AI is that it never gets tired, it can’t get distracted. But there’s no substitute for the experience of the radiologist.
How does it help with “call backs”?
This additional review can help radiologists determine instances where there is a very low probability of cancer. This helps to reduce the number of times that patients will be asked to return for another procedure to get a closer look at an area of possible concern, which many know as a “call back.” Fewer than 10 percent of women who are asked to return are typically found to have cancer. But these extra screenings make people anxious, they cost money, and they fill our breast centers with people who don’t need to be there.
How does AI work? What does the patient see?
Patients will not see any difference in the process. As your radiologist is reading your mammogram or sonogram on their computer, they can access a special program that will also review the scan. It takes a few extra minutes. In many cases, AI reviews the scan before the radiologist and highlights areas for the radiologist to pay extra attention.
Who can access this service?
Anyone who receives a mammogram or breast ultrasound performed at Mount Sinai will have access to this AI capability. There is no extra cost to patients.