News • BAC as predictor of cardiovascular disease

Mammograms can detect more than breast cancer, study finds

In a new study, researchers with University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that mammograms could be used as a predictor of cardiovascular disease in women.

Portrait photo of Lori Daniels
Lead study author Lori Daniels, MD, cardiologist at UC San Diego Health.

Image credit: UC San Diego Health

The retrospective study, now  published in JACC: Advances, reviewed nearly 20,000 anonymized mammograms to measure the amount of breast arterial calcification (BAC), or calcium build up in the arteries of the breast, which has been historically viewed as an incidental finding on mammograms. 

The results were then quantified by using an artificial intelligence-generated score and found that BAC was present in 23% of the cases. BAC is especially predictive of future cardiovascular events among younger women. According to lead study author Lori Daniels, MD, cardiologist at UC San Diego Health, BAC is not yet an established cardiac risk factor, but she’s hopeful this research could help implement measurement of BAC into clinical practice in the near future.

Source: University of California - San Diego

30.09.2024

Related articles

Photo

News • Impact on mammography performance

Breast cancer screening: better detection, fewer false positives with AI

Using artificial intelligence (AI), breast radiologists in Denmark have improved breast cancer screening performance and reduced the rate of false-positive findings.

Photo

News • Impact of patient characteristics

Breast cancer AI: unequal performance across ethnicities and age groups

Current AI systems for detecting breast cancer from mammography exams are more likely to produce false-positive results in black women and older patients, a new study finds.

Photo

News • Cardiovascular disease detection

Routine chest CT with AI to assess CVD risk

AI-enhanced CT scans can accurately evaluate cardiovascular risk without contrast media, a new study shows. The technique uses coronary calcium and heart chamber size as markers for disease detection.

Related products

Subscribe to Newsletter