iCad (Nasdaq:ICAD) today announced plans to present new studies validating its AI-powered ProFound Breast Health Suite.
ProFound helps to uncover hidden heart or vascular disease and predict a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer in the next 1-2 years. The platform can screen a single mammogram for two of the top causes of death for women. iCad designed it to improve accuracy, streamline clinical workflow and deliver results more quickly.
The company plans to present its findings at RSNA23.
“The ProFound Breast Health Suite significantly increases cancer detection rates with up to 2x enhanced clinical performance compared to other AI platforms, and reduces the rate of false positive results while accurately evaluating a woman’s breast density and cancer risk,” said Dana Brown, president and CEO of iCad, Inc. “Our growing body of important research illustrates the potential our newest solution, ProFound Heart Health, holds for the assessment of calcium deposits in the breast arteries as a proxy for hidden cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women worldwide. We believe iCad’s ProFound AI has the power to positively transform healthcare for clinicians and patients alike.”
iCad touts cardiovascular disease detection capabilities.
Recent research demonstrates a correlation between calcium deposits inside breast blood vessels to hardening cardiovascular arteries. iCad said women with breast arterial calcifications, or BAC, are 51% more likely to develop heart disease.
The company says its report demonstrates the extent of calcification and can help women work to further evaluate their cardiovascular health.
iCad plans for Dr. Chirag Parghi to present findings from a 15-site prospective study looking at 2D screening mammograms. It took data from 15,785 asymptomatic women between ages 20 and 97. The study showed high accuracy from ProFound in uncovering BAC in mammograms. Calcium deposits appeared more common and widespread with age, iCad said.
“Radiologists currently rely on visual detection of breast arterial calcifications, which is time-consuming and leads to a national underreporting of BAC results in mammography reports,” said Dr. Parghi, chief medical officer of Solis Mammography. “Our study suggests that AI can standardize BAC detection on a large scale, speeding up the measurement process and reducing variations between reviewers. By standardizing BAC reporting, AI increases the ease of identifying women that may benefit from additional cardiovascular screening.”
ProFound predicts breast cancer risk, too
Dr. Axel Gräwingholt, head of mammography screening at Radiologie am Theater in Germany, will present findings from a retrospective study of ProFound Risk for 2D mammography. The study assessed ProFound Risk’s effectiveness in identifying women at high-risk for developing breast cancer in the next two years. It based its findings on microscopic changes on their exams.
Researchers used ProFound Risk to screen mammograms of 53,453 women who received normal results two years earlier. The program flagged 42.8% of women (22,878 patients) at higher risk for breast cancer.
iCad said the predictions proved correct, with the average risk for women in the study who developed breast cancer two years after their mammogram coming in 2.4 times higher than for those who remained cancer-free.
“Our findings suggest AI enables radiologists to identify women who would benefit from more frequent screenings, or suggest supplemental screenings, without leading to overdiagnosis,” said Dr. Gräwingholt. “ProFound Risk accurately pinpoints women at high risk for breast cancer while helping us discover small, subtle and aggressive cancers that often go undetected by the naked eye. We believe this technology could greatly enhance the effectiveness of breast cancer screening strategies worldwide.”
