According to the research team from the Beijing-based Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), the system is composed of an infrared camera, an AI algorithm, and a big-data platform.
After linking the infrared cameras to their smartphones, users can use the cameras to capture thermal images of their breasts. These are then uploaded to an app and automatically processed by the AI algorithm, with the results showing different levels of cancer risk, Xinhua reported.
The research team expects the system to serve as a more convenient, accurate and cost-effective breast-cancer preclinical screening solution for Chinese women. Currently, breast self-examination is the main preclinical screening method, yet most women do not perform them regularly or employ the correct techniques.
Breast cancer is a major female health issue in China: in 2022, the country recorded 357,200 new cases of this cancer, the second-most prevalent malignancy among females that year, and 75,000 deaths from the disease.
Hence, “early screening and diagnosis are key to the treatment of breast cancer”, said Sun Qiang, a chief physician at PUMCH and a core member of the research team.
Compared with major clinical screening methods such as ultrasound examination, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging, as a large-scale preclinical screening method, the AI-IRT system has the advantages of being non-invasive, radiation-free, quick and more affordable.
IRT is also regarded as an effective technique in screening dense breasts, which are more common among Asian women.
Based on their findings, the researchers hope to introduce the system to the public for use at home and in community health centres in the future, saving women the trouble of making hospital appointments in advance and waiting for days to have clinical screenings.
Wang Xuefei, an attending physician for the PUMCH breast-surgery department and a core member of the research team, said although their findings require higher-quality validation studies for further confirmation, the AI-IRT system has tremendous potential application value.
The researchers added that they have already completed the technology transfer of the core hardware for the AI-IRT system.