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New study shows artificial intelligence could help catch more instances of cancer

A recent study showed that artificial intelligence is helping to catch more breast cancers.

Using artificial intelligence software to read mammograms found 20% more instances of cancers than the routine double reading by two different radiologists, according to a new study published in Lancet Oncology.

Additionally, the study said that the AI software didn’t increase the number of false positive reports, which is an outcome that necessitates additional follow-up and possibly a biopsy.

The Swedish study looked at more than 80,000 women between the ages of 40 and 80.

The goal was to detect more interval cancers, which are those cancers found between normally scheduled screening mammograms.

The researchers called the study “promising,” especially in those areas with a shortage of radiologists.

Technicians were able to train AI technology to read mammograms by inputting information from millions of mammograms, from which the software created an algorithm of what a normal mammogram looks like versus a mammogram with cancer.

“These promising interim safety results should be used to inform new trials and program-based evaluations to address the pronounced radiologist shortage in many countries,” said lead author Kristina Lang, an associate professor of radiology diagnostics at Lund University in a statement to BreastCancer.org.

“But they are not enough on their own to confirm that AI is ready to be implemented in mammography screening. We still need to understand the implications on patients’ outcomes, especially whether combining radiologists’ expertise with AI can help detect interval cancers that are often missed by traditional screening, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the technology,” Lang said.

Fauci repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment in a contentious Senate committee hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer dozens of questions from senators in a Republican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, at least for now, shielded Fauci from answering questions that could expose him to accusations of lying under oath. Though he received a pardon in early 2025 from Democratic President Joe Biden, some Republicans pursuing a yearslong campaign for his arrest had suggested he could still face charges for any perjury committed during Wednesday’s hearing. The scientist, who helped lead the nation’s COVID-19 response, was subpoenaed to testify under oath by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Fauci. In response to angry, sometimes mocking questions from Republican senators, Fauci declined to answer more than 100 times, injecting new drama into partisan divides that have festered for years about the origins and handling of the pandemic. Fauci himself has become a polarizing figure, even receiving death threats that prompted him to seek security.
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