Researchers at MIT's Institute for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence have developed a new tool that they claim can predict the development of breast cancer up to five years before it appears. What's special about this new tool is that the researchers made sure it was useful for both white and black women . In the past, similar programs have been available, but they were only effective when used on white women.
This is important, according to MIT, because black women are 42 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. This may be due in large part to the fact that women of color lack access to techniques . MIT said the program aims to help minorities, who are often overlooked in the development of health-promoting tools, understand their risks and identify the disease.
The tool, designed by MIT, used more than 90,000 mammograms and medical records from 60,000 patients at Massachusetts General Hospital. The researchers first used this data and then used deep learning to look for something that would not be easily detected by clinicians. It does not rely on existing knowledge of risk factors. The results showed that the tool is effective and can predict the development of breast cancer before a clinical diagnosis is made.
The researchers' overall goal with this new tool is to help healthcare professionals quickly identify the disease and eliminate the common phenomenon of underdiagnosis. MIT hopes that the technique can also be used to detect other diseases that have similar risk factors.
