Breast Cancer Screening with AI-IRT System: A New Era of Convenience and Accuracy
Introduction
A team of Chinese doctors has been developing an artificial intelligence-based infrared thermography (AI-IRT) system for breast-cancer screening, enabling users to easily check their levels of cancer risk through an application by linking infrared cameras to their smartphones.
The AI-IRT System
The system is composed of an infrared camera, an AI algorithm, and a big-data platform. Users can use the infrared cameras to capture thermal images of their breasts, which are then uploaded to an app and automatically processed by the AI algorithm, with the results showing different levels of cancer risk, Xinhua reported.
Advantages of the AI-IRT System
Compared with major clinical screening methods such as ultrasound examination, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging, the AI-IRT system has the advantages of being non-invasive, radiation-free, quick, and more affordable. IRT is also regarded as an effective technique in screening dense breasts, which are more common among Asian women.
Future Plans and Potential Applications
The researchers hope to introduce the system to the public for use at home and in community health centers in the future, saving women the trouble of making hospital appointments in advance and waiting for days to have clinical screenings. Wang Xuefei, an attending physician for the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) breast-surgery department and a core member of the research team, said that although their findings require higher-quality validation studies for further confirmation, the AI-IRT system has tremendous potential application value.
Conclusion
The AI-IRT system has the potential to revolutionize breast cancer screening, providing a more convenient, accurate, and cost-effective solution for women. With its non-invasive and radiation-free nature, it can be used by women of all ages, regardless of their breast density.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the AI-IRT system?
The AI-IRT system is an artificial intelligence-based infrared thermography system for breast-cancer screening. - How does the AI-IRT system work?
Users capture thermal images of their breasts using infrared cameras linked to their smartphones, which are then processed by the AI algorithm to show different levels of cancer risk. - What are the advantages of the AI-IRT system?
Non-invasive, radiation-free, quick, and more affordable, making it a more convenient and effective solution for breast cancer screening. - When can the AI-IRT system be available to the public?
The researchers hope to introduce the system to the public for use at home and in community health centers in the future.