New Use for Mammograms: Identifying Heart Disease
Researchers have found a way to leverage routine mammograms, typically used for breast cancer screenings, to also detect heart disease. This is a significant advancement considering heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
By employing artificial intelligence to analyze the mammogram scans, researchers could successfully identify women suffering from coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and those who had previously experienced a stroke.
This means that breast cancer screenings might not only catch signs of cancer early, but also serve a dual purpose in identifying cardiovascular issues in women. It’s important to note that millions of women live with undiagnosed heart disease. For a long time, this condition has often been diagnosed late, when it could be more effectively managed.
The breakthrough findings were shared at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress in Munich, which is the largest heart conference globally. This discovery could have vast implications since hundreds of millions of women undergo mammograms yearly.
A study conducted in Israel involved analyzing 97,364 scans from nearly 30,000 women, with an average age of about 54. By looking at their medical histories, researchers discovered that 16% had high blood pressure, 2.5% were diagnosed with coronary heart disease, and another 2.5% had suffered from a stroke.
An AI model was developed to identify women with these medical conditions and proved effective, correctly identifying strokes in 86% of cases based on their mammograms alone. For high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, the model maintained reliability rates of 79% and 78%, respectively, regardless of the age of the participants or whether they had a cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Viana Copeland from Tel Aviv University presented these results, emphasizing the persistent underdiagnosis and undertreatment of cardiovascular disease in women. She mentioned how many women only seek medical attention when their heart condition has progressed significantly. However, many do attend routine mammography appointments, even without noticeable cardiovascular symptoms.
Because mammograms are so widely used, analyzing these scans could provide a scalable and efficient method for evaluating heart health without necessitating further imaging. Copeland pointed out that mammography often reaches a demographic of women in midlife, a critical time for recognizing cardiovascular risks.
A dedicated team of medical professionals is currently focused on enhancing the AI model’s accuracy and minimizing false positives, while also increasing the spectrum of heart conditions it can identify.
Elena Arbelo, part of the European Society of Cardiology communication committee, described the findings as “compelling.” She noted the potential for mammograms to extend beyond detecting breast cancer to providing insight into cardiovascular health, which is crucial given that heart disease in women is frequently recognized much too late.
She added that the next step involves verifying accuracy and reliability to transition from research to practical healthcare applications. Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, a consultant cardiologist and director at the British Heart Foundation, echoed her support for this breakthrough.
Babu-Narayan highlighted that heart disease is a major health risk for both genders, yet there’s a common belief that it’s primarily a male issue. This notion leaves many women unaware and unaccounted for in discussions about heart health. She expressed excitement about the potential implications of this approach, which could improve early detection and preventive strategies for cardiovascular issues in women by merging breast cancer screenings with cardiovascular health assessments.
