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Breast Cancer Mortality Falls Again | New DBT Option
October 3, 2024
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Together with
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“I shouldn’t have had to lie, I think women should be able to get a mammogram earlier than the age the government mandates.”
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Sidra Lone, a 38-year-old Canadian woman who was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer after lying about her age to get a mammogram.
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The shortage of radiologists is well-known. Has the radiologist training and education system — with its heavy focus on subspecialization — played a role? Learn more about radiology’s workforce challenges and their potential solutions in this Imaging Wire Show interview with Daniel Arnold and Deanna Heier of Medality.
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New data from the American Cancer Society highlight the remarkable strides that have been made against breast cancer, with the U.S. death rate falling 44% over the last 33 years – saving over half a million lives. But the statistics also underscore the work that remains to be done, particularly with minority women.
The fight against breast cancer has been one of public health’s major success stories.
- High mammography screening uptake has led to early detection of cancers that can then be treated with revolutionary new therapies.
Much of the credit for this success goes to the women’s health movement, which has conducted effective advocacy campaigns that have led to …
But breast cancer remains the third most common killer of women after heart disease and lung cancer, and there have been disturbing trends even as the overall death rate falls.
- Breast cancer incidence has been rising especially in younger women, and major disparities continue to be seen, particularly with survival in Black women.
The American Cancer Society’s new report represents the group’s biennial review of breast cancer statistics, finding …
- In 2024 there will be 311k new cases of invasive breast cancer, 56.5k cases of DCIS, and 42.3k deaths.
- The breast cancer mortality rate has fallen 44% from 1989 to 2022, from 33 deaths per 100k women to 19 deaths.
- Some 518k breast cancer deaths have been averted.
- The mortality rate ranges from 39% higher than average for Black women to 38% lower for Asian American Pacific Islander women.
- The mortality rate is slightly higher than average (0.5%) for White women.
- The average breast cancer incidence rate is 132 per 100k women, but ranges from 5% higher for White women to 21% lower for Hispanic women.
- Women 50 years and older will account for most invasive cases (84%) and deaths (91%).
The Takeaway
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, women’s health advocates should be heartened by the progress that’s been made overall. But battles remain, from eliminating patient out-of-pocket payments for follow-up studies to addressing race-based disparities in breast cancer mortality. In many ways, the fight is just beginning.
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Transform Healthcare with the Cloud
Discover how Optum’s cloud-based medical imaging solutions can slash costs and streamline radiology operations. Visit their website today to unlock a wealth of healthcare insights and resources tailored just for professionals like you.
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Give Your Patients the Experience They Want
Empower patients to take control of their healthcare journey by giving them mobile access to their records and images with Clearpath, the world’s first digital fulfillment platform for records and films. Book a demo today.
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- Are Women Missing Mammograms? Even as new statistics confirm mammography’s value, many women are missing out on its life-saving benefits. A new survey from MedStar Health found that the number of women who said they got a mammogram every year starting at age 40 declined compared to last year (40% vs. 41%), while the number who said they got mammograms but not every year went up (39% vs. 35%). Also, only 36% of respondents identified dense breasts as a risk factor for breast cancer.
- Siemens Gets FDA Nod for DBT: Meanwhile, U.S. breast imaging practices have a new option for digital breast tomosynthesis after Siemens Healthineers received premarket approval for DBT on the company’s flagship Mammomat B.brilliant mammography system. The system includes features that improve patient comfort and technologist efficiency, and Siemens is touting its wide 50-degree arc. B.brilliant already had clearance for 2D mammography, but DBT dominates the U.S. market so the FDA move will give Siemens a big boost.
- AI Links BAC to Cardiovascular Risk: Another study is linking breast arterial calcifications to cardiovascular risk, but with the twist of using AI to calculate BAC. In a study in JACC: Advances, researchers used CureMetrix’s cmAngio AI algorithm to calculate BAC in 18.1k women using their screening mammograms. Women with BAC had higher hazard ratios for mortality (HR=1.49) and a composite of negative cardiovascular events that included mortality (HR=1.56). Each 10-point increase in the cmAngio score was associated with 8% higher risk of mortality.
- PocketHealth Adds Breast Health Tools: PocketHealth launched new breast health support tools to help people manage their breast health and detect breast cancer earlier. The tools include personalized risk assessment with cancer risk scores, screening eligibility alerts, definitions of complex medical terms in language patients can understand, and personalized questions for patients to ask their providers. The breast health tools are first being rolled out in Ontario, Canada, which is expanding screening eligibility to women as young as 40 this month.
- Residents Want Work-Life Balance: What’s the top priority for residents about to become new radiologists? Work-life balance topped salary in the latest survey from online education company Medality, with 40% of respondents saying it was their top priority, ahead of location and salary. The survey also found radiologists feel most comfortable reading neuroradiology exams and least secure with cardiac and nuclear medicine studies – an issue because most reported they were reading across 4-5 subspecialties in their daily practice, and 43% said they read across all specialties.
- Women in High-Paying Medical Specialties: A new research letter in JAMA highlights the challenge of attracting more female medical students into radiology. Researchers tracked women entering high-compensation medical specialties from 2009 to 2022, finding that while high-compensation surgical specialties saw female representation grow (28% to 38%), the proportion of women in high-compensation non-surgical specialties (like radiology) actually fell (37% to 34%). Still, even these numbers are higher than in radiology itself, where about 27% of active U.S. diagnostic radiologists are female.
- Academic Salaries Lag for Women: Meanwhile, a new survey in Radiology of compensation at academic radiology departments has good news and bad news. The good news is that salaries rose a median of 2.6-4.4% a year from 2017 to 2023. The bad news is that male faculty members enjoyed salaries 6% higher than female members, a gap that was stubbornly persistent throughout the salary period. Still, the single-digit gap is actually lower than the 31% gender difference reported for all U.S. specialists in a recent Medscape survey.
- RevealDx and Riverain Partner: RevealDx and Riverain Technologies signed a technology integration agreement to combine each company’s solutions for lung nodule detection and assessment. RevealDx’s RevealAI-Lung algorithm for scoring lung nodules based on possible malignancy will be added to Riverain’s ClearRead CT technology, which suppresses vascular structures and detects lung nodules on chest CT scans. Riverain will distribute the combined solution in Canada, which has been expanding its CT lung cancer screening initiatives.
- Radin Health Launches All-in-One Platform: Radin Health launched a new cloud-based imaging IT solution that combines RIS, PACS, dictation AI, and workflow management in a single platform. Radin is offering the platform on a SaaS basis, eliminating the need for on-premises servers and maintenance. It also delivers a customizable offering that can be scaled for future growth while helping providers realize efficiencies bundling multiple imaging IT tools in a single platform. Radin was founded by radiologist Alejandro Bugnone, MD, who is also president of teleradiology provider Total Medical Imaging.
- More Highlights from ASTRO 2024: The premier conference on radiation therapy – ASTRO 2024 – wrapped up in Washington, DC, this week. Major research presented included studies on hypofractionation to shorten radiation therapy following breast reconstruction after mastectomy; similar results with both proton therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer; relatively short cognitive side effects after radiation therapy for brain metastases; the best timing for adding immunotherapy to chemoradiation for limited-stage small cell lung cancer; and research on why Black patients might be reluctant to participate in clinical cancer trials.
- Merge Hemo Update Gets Clearance: Merge by Merative has received FDA clearance for an update to its Merge Hemo solution for automating cardiac cath labs. Merge Hemo automates cath lab documentation into a digital patient record, and the update includes both hardware and software that reduces the offering’s physical size and footprint. Merge also updated the solution’s data visualization capabilities, giving clinicians a richer data experience that takes up less space at their workstation.
- Iceland Picks Lunit Mammography AI: In a major win for Lunit, Iceland picked the company’s Insight MMG AI solution for its national breast screening program. Insight MMG will be deployed as a concurrent reader for mammography exams, supporting breast radiologists at the country’s Landspitali University Hospital, who will read all screening exams. Lunit says the agreement marks the first national-scale AI implementation by a breast screening program in Europe.
- Atherosclerosis Imaging Predicts Mortality: Researchers found that both vascular ultrasound and CT-derived measures of subclinical atherosclerosis accurately predicted all-cause mortality. In a JACC study of 5.7k adults who were scanned in 2008-2009 and followed up for a median of 12 years, hazard ratios for carotid plaque burden on ultrasound (HR=1.23) and CAC on CT (HR=1.15) predicted all-cause mortality. While both imaging tools were predictive, study authors gave the edge to ultrasound thanks to its higher hazard ratios and noninvasiveness.
- Plaque AI Gets FDA Clearance: Cardiovascular AI developer Elucid received FDA 510(k) clearance for PlaqueAI, the company’s image software for analyzing coronary CT angiography scans to quantify and classify plaque – a sign of atherosclerosis. PlaqueAI analyzes non-calcified plaque and its components – such as lipid-rich necrotic core – that can indicate risk of rupture, causing heart attack or stroke. Elucid raised $80M last year (total raised=$121M), joining the exclusive club of AI startups to have raised over $100M.
- Nym Raises $47M for AI-Based Coding: Medical AI coding developer Nym raised $47M from a combination of new and existing investors. The firm has developed automated AI coding software to reduce the administrative burden of medical coding, which accounts for some 10% of all U.S. healthcare spending annually. Nym’s technology uses AI and clinical language understanding to analyze patient charts and assign medical codes; it has processed over 6M charts annually to date across six medical specialties, including radiology.
- PIUR’s 3D Ultrasound Is Cleared: Austrian ultrasound developer PIUR Imaging received FDA clearance for its tUS Infinity system, which enables 2D ultrasound scanners to perform 3D imaging. PIUR is targeting thyroid imaging for the technology, which can create volumetric datasets of thyroid lobes and nodules with a single scan. This reduces operator variability, which has been ultrasound’s traditional shortcoming. tUS Infinity also includes remote scanning functionality, helping hospitals provide advanced ultrasound imaging in an era of workforce shortages.
- AIUM Rebrands Annual Show: The AIUM is rebranding its annual conference – formerly known as UltraCon – as The Ultrasound Event. The 2025 edition of the conference will be held March 29 to April 1, 2025, at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida. AIUM recently opened registration for the conference.
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Focus on Mammography Workflow
Mammography workflow is key to providing high-quality breast imaging services. In this Imaging Wire Show, we talked with Christie Devine of Siemens Healthineers about how recent advances in mammography workflow are leading to more effective mammography technologists — and happier patients.
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Heart Failure Screening at Home and in Primary Care
Heart failure is the number one cause of hospitalization in people over 65. The SYMPHONY study is investigating a screening strategy of point-of-care AI echo and NT-proBNP in primary practice and general community settings. Learn more on this page from Us2.ai.
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What Is Cloud Computing?
What do you know about cloud computing and its role in healthcare? Check out this article by Sham Sokka, PhD, of DeepHealth to learn how cloud computing is helping hospitals adopt new AI technologies that enhance patient care.
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- Connect with United Imaging at RSNA 2024: United Imaging will be celebrating the theme of Building Intelligent Connections at RSNA 2024. Come visit the company at booth #1929 to learn about their imaging solutions and how they connect to United’s mission of Equal Healthcare for All.
- Transform Your Practice into a Multispecialty Powerhouse: Medality is the practice development platform that helps radiologists upskill in high-growth, advanced imaging areas. Request a demo today and discover how to transform your practice into a multispecialty powerhouse.
- Introducing Merge Consulting Services: How can your radiology practice manage change and expectations in healthcare with workforce flexibility? Merge by Merative is launching Merge Consulting Services to help you face the challenges of sourcing expertise and staff. Learn more about it today.
- 2 Questions about AI for Radiology Leaders: Are today’s radiology AI solutions solving the right problems? And are there other solutions available for AI of brain MRI? Read this article from SpinTech MRI to learn how their STAGE solution can optimize MRI utilization.
- AI for Limb Fractures on X-Ray: AI can recognize limb fractures on X-rays and reduce interpretation discrepancies between radiology and emergency departments. Learn how Gleamer’s BoneView AI algorithm performed in this new research study.
- Request an RSNA Meeting with TeraRecon: RSNA 2024 will be here before you know it. Come explore TeraRecon’s latest updates and find out why the company is an award-winning solution provider for AI-empowered radiology, oncology, cardiology, neurology, and vascular surgery.
- Next-Generation Radiology Reporting: Join the conversation in this on-demand webinar and hear from PACS administrator Griff R. Van Dusen of Memorial Health System how Nuance PowerScribe One’s next-generation reporting experience helps streamline workflow and improve report quality so radiologists can get more done in less time.
- Leave No Breast Cancer Patient Behind: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, but catching it early greatly improves the survival rate. Leave no breast cancer patient behind with the help of Intelerad’s InteleScreen and IntelePACS for breast imaging organizations.
- Unprecedented Insights Made Possible with AI: With the largest normative dataset of whole-body imaging in the world, Prenuvo’s AI researchers partner with the best academic minds to understand – like never before – what “normal” aging means. Learn about their work today.
- Enterprise Imaging for Radiologist Well-Being: With the ongoing shortage of radiologists and ever-increasing imaging volume, burnout has been a persistent problem facing radiology. Join this October 9 webinar hosted by AGFA HealthCare to hear how radiology is turning to enterprise imaging and AI to improve its workflow.
- Unlocking the Full Potential of Medical Imaging Data: Many healthcare organizations aren’t realizing the full potential of their vast stores of imaging data. On this page from Enlitic, learn how you can turn your data from an underutilized asset into a powerful driver of clinical, operational, and strategic value.
- Missed Appointments and Last-Minute Cancellations Can Add Up: Every missed appointment can cost providers an average of $200. PocketHealth’s new Appointment Reminders service can decrease no-show rates by up to 30%. Find out how in this article.
- The Essence of Visage: What impact is Visage 7 Enterprise Imaging Platform having on healthcare enterprises? Find out from Visage customers in their own words how Visage 7 can help you eliminate your legacy PACS.
- Transforming Patient Care with Mach7’s eUnity Diagnostic Viewer: University of Michigan Health-West uses Mach7’s eUnity Diagnostic Viewer to drive patient care and provider satisfaction. Learn more about how one of the nation’s most-wired hospitals puts patients first through adoption of innovative imaging technology.
- How to Standardize CT Images: The quality and appearance of CT scans can vary considerably. In this white paper from Riverain Technologies, find out how image normalization can standardize CT images, making them easier to analyze and interpret.
- AI and Matters of the Heart: As clinicians face increasing pressure from all sides, can AI provide some much-needed breathing space? In this article from Blackford, learn more about how AI is assisting with cardiac imaging with modalities ranging from CT to echocardiography.
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