Vara MG AI System Increases Breast Cancer Detection by 17.6% in German Mammography Screening Programme

Jan 9, 2025, 02:00 AM

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been shown to enhance breast cancer detection rates in a large-scale study involving nearly 500,000 women in Germany. The study, published in Nature Medicine, found that radiologists using an AI-supported system called Vara MG achieved a 17.6% higher breast cancer detection rate compared to those not using AI, identifying one additional case per 1,000 women screened. The AI system, which was integrated into the German Mammography Screening Programme across 12 sites and involved 119 radiologists, did not increase the recall rate, maintaining it at a similar level to traditional screenings. This suggests that AI can improve the efficiency of breast cancer screening without increasing the burden on patients or healthcare systems. The study also indicates that AI could help address radiologist shortages by reducing workload, as it was shown to decrease reading time by 43% for normal examinations.