Doctors often use ultrasound, mammograms, MRI, or biopsy to find or diagnose breast cancer. In a new study, researchers from NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) report that they have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI) system that achieves radiologist-level accuracy in identifying breast cancer in ultrasound images.
Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications, in a paper titled, “Artificial intelligence system reduces false-positive findings in the interpretation of breast ultrasound exams,” and was led by Farah Shamout, PhD, NYUAD assistant professor emerging scholar of computer engineering and colleagues.
When the researchers conducted a reader study to compare its diagnostic accuracy with board-certified breast radiologists, the system achieved higher accuracy than the ten radiologists on average. However, a hybrid model that aggregated the predictions of the AI system and radiologists achieved the best results in accurately detecting cancer in patients.
“Our findings highlight the potential of AI to improve the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of breast ultrasound diagnosis,” explained Shamout. “Importantly, AI is not a replacement for the expertise of clinicians. However, the powerful, complementary role that AI systems can play as a decision support tool leads us to believe that they should and will be increasingly translated into clinical practice.”
