AI could spot breast cancer up to six years before diagnosis, major study finds

Early warning signs of breast cancer could be detected years in advance using artificial intelligence, according to groundbreaking research from Sweden.

Scientists analysed 88,963 mammograms from over 31,000 patients across a decade, testing three AI-based screening systems. The technology successfully identified mammographic signs of cancer up to six years before radiologists made their diagnoses.

In nearly 20% of participants, the AI achieved 90% accuracy in flagging potential cancers six years early. That figure rose to 25% at four years before diagnosis, and nearly 40% at two years before.

"Approximately 20% of breast cancer cases demonstrate mammographic signs that are already visible to AI around six years before diagnosis," said senior researcher Professor Fredrik Strand of Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm.

The findings, published in the journal Radiology, suggest AI could enable earlier intervention for many patients, potentially improving treatment outcomes and survival rates.