Computer-aided technology to help in screening breast cancer

Breast cancer, the most common form of all cancer in women all over the world, can now be easily detected with the help of computers. Computer-aided detection of breast cancer is more accurate and detects 6.5% more cancers, when compared to screening of breast cancer by radiologists, using x-rays. Many women in U.K are not able to get screened for breast cancer due to shortage of radiologists and this problem can be overcome by using this computer aided detection (CAD) program, which screens the x-rays more effectively, compared to the radiologists.

To check the efficiency of this new technology, researchers collected 10,000 mammograms taken in the year 1996, which had previously been screened by two radiologists. The computer screened the mammograms for suspicious tumors and cysts (symptoms of breast cancer). The results showed that the cancer detection rate of the computer was much better and accurate when compared to that of the radiologists. This new technology could ensure better screening of breast cancer in women, which could ultimately save thousands of women from death, in the future.

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