Leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) software allows patients to receive “real time” essential breast screening amidst pandemic
Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma and with extranodal extension of tumour. (Credit: Wikipedia.org/Nephron.)
iCAD, a global medical technology leader providing innovative cancer detection and therapy solutions, and SimonMed Imaging, one of the largest outpatient medical imaging providers and largest physician radiology practices in the United States, today announced that ProFound AI™ will be deployed throughout SimonMed Imaging’s network.
ProFound AI is a high-performance, deep learning, workflow solution that assists radiologists reading digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), or 3D mammography; it became the first artificial intelligence (AI) software for DBT to be FDA-cleared in 2018.
“With an average rate of 6 cancers detected per 1,000 screening mammograms,i breast cancer remains a major health concern for women, even in the face of this pandemic. The breast cancer mortality rateii is greater than current COVID mortality percentages in many countries,iii which puts breast cancer screening in a unique risk/benefit category. This risk increases with the duration of time screening is deferred,” according to Michael Klein, Chairman and CEO of iCAD.
Trained with the latest in artificial intelligence and pattern recognition technology, ProFound AI rapidly and accurately analyzes each individual DBT image to identify potentially malignant lesions. The technology provides radiologists with crucial information, such as Certainty of Finding lesion and Case Scores, which assists in clinical decision-making and improving reading efficiency. ProFound AI for DBT was clinically proven in a large reader study to increase radiologist sensitivity by 8 percent and specificity by 6.9 percent, as well as reduce the rate of false positives and unnecessary callbacks by 7.2 percent and slash reading time for radiologists by 52.7 percent.iv Additionally, ProFound AI for DBT cut reading time by up to 57.4 percent for radiologists reading cases with dense breasts.v It is available for use with a number of mammography vendors, including GE, Hologic and Siemens 3D mammography equipment.
“As with many medical procedures, mammography screening was impacted in areas of our global served market.vi However, as mammography resumes, many radiologists are now being presented with new challenges introduced by the pandemic. Not only is there a significant backlog of women who need to be screened, many sites are offering expanded hours and adjusting patient spacing to accommodate proper safety precautions, which puts an added strain on radiologists reading DBT images,” added Klein. “ProFound AI offers a practical solution that can help clinicians continue screening at an appropriate pace, particularly for patients with higher risk profiles, while helping to address some of these emerging issues. This leading-edge technology offers a trifecta of clinically proven benefits to patients and clinicians alike: not only may it offer improved specificity and sensitivity, it may decrease reading time for radiologists by more than half, which can help them more effectively manage the backlog of patients who urgently need to be screened. It also offers critical data for clinicians, such as unique Certainty of Finding Case Scores, which can assist them in making proper care decisions. We are pleased to partner with SimonMed in this effort to expand access to this state-of-the-art technology across its vast network of facilities.”
“SimonMed has always been a leader in advancing early breast cancer detection, from the early nationwide adoption of 3D mammography and 3D ultrasound, to the use of the newest technology, such as automated breast density measurement and now ProFound AI. This technology empowers our radiologists to read cases with improved accuracy, reducing the rate of false positives and unnecessary callbacks, which can be stressful for patients,” according to John Simon, M.D., Founder and CEO of SimonMed. “Additionally, with ProFound AI, every patient has the benefit of a second reader, whose input has been clinically proven to support the early detection of breast cancer, making 3D mammography at SimonMed even more beneficial for our patients.”
Source: Company Press Release