Breast cancer awareness is essential for early detection, which is critical for improving survival rates and reducing the burden of this disease. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but education and awareness should not be limited to just one month of the year. A large portion of the global population will experience or be impacted by breast cancer; one in eight women will face a diagnosis in their lives, and this affects both them and their families.
Exciting advancements in the realm of breast cancer detection, such as predictive medicine, value-based care, and artificial intelligence (AI), are on the horizon. There is enormous potential to revolutionize early detection methods, offering not just a reduction in pain and suffering, but also in the financial burdens associated with cancer care and treatment. Annual mammography has long been seen as the gold standard for reducing breast cancer deaths since its introduction in the 1980s, but now the landscape is shifting, and the new era of breast cancer detection is here.
Software and the latest technological advancements enable personalized, optimized, and automated breast cancer detection. AI holds a promising role in the future of prediction and prevention, breaking barriers by turning subjective decisions into objective ones. This advanced technology can take on tasks like repetitive quantification in areas such as image-quality analytics, audit preparations, automated breast density assessment, and evidence-based risk assessment to improve early detection methods.
There is a significant barrier that hinders the promises made by technology to improve breast cancer detection: awareness, particularly in younger women. In the United States, the median age of breast cancer diagnosis is 62 years, but around 9% of cases are diagnosed in women under the age of 45 and these women often have more aggressive cancers diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment is less successful. When routine screening for breast cancer does not begin until the ages of 40-45, women under 40 are at risk of not receiving the care they need. The experts agree that cancer risk assessments should be completed by the age of 25 yet this is not routinely done in the US. Younger women should have the knowledge and support to complete these assessments as they can help preserve their well-being and understand their bodies.
Breast cancer awareness and early detection are essential for improving survival rates and reducing the burden of this disease. New technologies, such as AI, have the potential to revolutionize breast cancer detection, but it is important to ensure that everyone has access to these technologies and the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health.
About Teri Thomas, CEO and Managing Director at Volpara Health
Thomas is an American, based in NZ . She has a long history of executive management in healthcare IT ranging from strategy and operations to running global sales & marketing teams. This includes a 20-year career at Epic, a global healthcare systems provider. Thomas was instrumental in growing the company from under 100 employees with little market recognition to over 10,000 employees. Thomas is also a registered nurse with a Master of Science degree, which gives her a unique perspective on the intersection of IT, clinician workflow and patient experience. Previously, she held executive roles with population health firm Orion Health and IT innovation at University of North Carolina Health Care. Thomas was a key member of the decision-making team behind Volpara successfully acquiring Harvard spin-out CRA Health in February 2021. Her focus is now helping the company to serve its purpose of saving lives, while driving profitable growth.
