AI-Driven Enhancements in Cancer Imaging: Focus on Breast Cancer

A mammography-based AI model has been shown to concentrate a disproportionate share of interval breast cancers in its highest-risk strata in a large screening cohort, suggesting image-driven triage could identify women for selective supplemental imaging.

The study in Radiologyfound mammography-derived risk scores clustered interval cancers within top-risk groups. This finding could change screening frequency or trigger targeted supplemental MRI or contrast-enhanced mammography for a smaller, higher-risk subgroup rather than expanding imaging indiscriminately.

This image-first risk stratification differs from conventional approaches that rely on age, family history, or breast density by using the index mammogram to generate individualized short-term risk estimates that could drive operational triage.

An image-based pathway would allow selective escalation of imaging for those with the highest AI scores while preserving standard intervals for most women.