Breast cancer: new technology for early detection is coming to Haifa

New in the general community of the Haifa district and the Western Galilee: innovative artificial intelligence-based technology, which allows tumors to be detected and the level of risk of developing breast cancer to be measured, through mammography tests. The system changes the detection and early detection capabilities of breast cancer, the most common malignant tumor in women in Israel and the number one cause of death for women in Israel. It detects tiny tumors in mammograms with the highest level of accuracy and even alerts women who are at risk of developing a disease within two years (RISK measurement).

The advantages of the innovative system:

• The possibility of detecting more types of cancer is 6.9% higher
• Reduces the need for repeat testing by 7.2%
• Measures the level of risk of developing a cancerous tumor in the next two years

5,500 women are diagnosed in Israel every year

According to the estimate of the National Cancer Institute in the USA, a fifth of breast cancer cases are not detected by mammography. The new system that entered the Klalit Breast Health Institute at the Linn Medical Center is a product of development by the iCAD company, the giant of medical innovation in the fields of cancer, identifies tumors that have not been detected until now in the existing technology.

"Every year, about 2 million new women are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide. About 5500 women here in Israel. About 900 women a year are diagnosed with us at the Lin and Zebulon centers of the Hakhalit. The age range is decreasing, and today one in eight will get the disease. Besides , the good news is that 8% of women can be saved by early detection.

The official recommendation for a routine mammogram for a woman without risk factors is over 50, but from the age of 45 you can contact your doctor and ask for a referral for a mammogram. The actual recommendation is attention and attention to changes in the breast. It is important to get a breast exam as soon as you notice a lump or change in the breast. If a woman feels something new or abnormal in her breast - a lump, a change in the shape of the breast or nipple, bloody discharge from the nipple, redness in the breast or a lump in the armpit, she should be checked as soon as possible," explains Dr. Tatiana Dorfman, Director of the Breast Health Institute at Klalit's Lynn Consultant Medicine Center .

According to global data, about 40 percent of women over the age of forty have a "thick breast" texture (more tissue than fat), in which the ability to diagnose tumors in a mammogram drops to about 30-40 percent. The artificial intelligence system of iCAD provides an answer to this and increases the detection ability of thick breast tumors by about 7%.

The new system

Dr. Sharbel Hashol, director of imaging in the Haifa and Western Galilee district and the initiator of bringing the new technology to the community, explains: "The system approved by the American FDA also knows how to predict the percentage of chance that a cancerous tumor will or will not develop in a two-year period. The results provide a high degree of certainty for the patient and provide doctors with critical information that helps in deciding whether to continue the investigation. Women at low risk, for example, will be able Move from low-frequency routine follow-ups and the emphasis will be given to high-risk women who will come to more frequent follow-ups, along with the use of additional tests such as ultrasound and breast MRI."

Ronen Nodelman, manager of the Haifa and Western Galilee district of Klalit concludes:"The installation of the new software is part of our ongoing efforts to integrate advanced technologies and improve the services we provide to our patients. We are sure that using the latest technology will allow us to save lives and improve the quality of life of many of the district's patients and I hope that soon we will be able to introduce it in more clinics"