A team of Chinese doctors is developing an artificial intelligence-based infrared thermography (AI-IRT) system for breast cancer screening that allows users to easily check their cancer risk level through an app by connecting infrared cameras to their smartphones.
According to a research team from Beijing Peking University Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), the system consists of an infrared camera, an artificial intelligence algorithm, and a big data platform.
By connecting the infrared cameras to their smartphones, users can use them to capture thermal images of their breasts. These are then uploaded to a phone app and automatically processed by an artificial intelligence algorithm, and the results show different levels of cancer risk.
The research team expects the system to become a more convenient, accurate and cost-effective solution for preclinical breast cancer screening for Chinese women. Currently, breast self-examination is the main method of preclinical screening, but most women do not perform breast self-examination regularly or use the correct methods.
Breast cancer is a major women’s health problem in China. In 2022, there were 357,200 new cases of breast cancer, the second most common malignancy among women, and 75,000 deaths from the disease in China.
“Early screening and diagnosis are key to the treatment of breast cancer,” said Sun Qian, chief breast physician at PUMCH and a core member of the research team.
Compared to mainstream clinical screening methods such as ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), AI-IRT as a large-scale preclinical screening method has advantages such as non-invasiveness, no radiation, speed and affordability. IRT is also considered an effective method for screening dense breasts, which are more common among Asian women.
“This is a Chinese solution for preclinical breast cancer screening for Chinese women,” said Zhou Yidong, director of the Department of Breast Surgery at PUMCH.
Based on their current findings, the researchers hope to introduce the AI-IRT system to the public in the future for use at home and in public health centers, saving women from having to make an appointment at a hospital and waiting several days to get a clinical screening.
Wang Xuefei, a physician at PUMCH’s Department of Breast Surgery and a core member of the research team, said that although the study results need more high-quality prospective validation studies to further confirm, there is no doubt that the AI-IRT system has great potential value for practical applications.
