Incorporating AI in breast cancer screening will take 3 years; Too long, advocates say
It will take at least three years before artificial intelligence (AI) can be incorporated into the Dutch population screening for breast cancer, caretaker Health Minister Jan Anthonie Bruijn said in a letter to parliament. That means the third quarter of 2028 at the earliest. That is far too slow, given the significant benefits the technology offers in early detection for this type of screening, advocates say, NOS reports.
Several studies have shown that AI can help detect tumors earlier and faster during screenings. Moreover, with the use of the technology, only one radiologist is needed to analyze the mammograms instead of two, decreasing the healthcare burden.
Early detection is very important for breast cancer. The general rule is that the earlier the breast cancer is detected, the better the outlook and the less invasive the treatment.
Reducing the demand for radiologists will also be excellent news for women going to their GP with a lump in their breast. Due to the significant shortage of radiologists specializing in breast cancer, many women have to wait days to weeks before they can go to the hospital for a mammogram. Currently, the waiting list in the west of the country is up to three or four weeks.
Most of the three-year waiting period will be spent on determining which company will provide the AI for the screening, Patricia Hugen of the public health institute RIVM told NOS. Every time the government wants to purchase services above a certain amount, a contract must be issued, for which companies can then bid. “That’s a long process of two years.”
The exact role of AI in screening must also still be determined, Hugen said. “We have to make choices about that: for example, do you let AI perform its own findings to replace one of the two radiologists currently assessing? Or do you use it as a tool?” Radiologists also need to be trained in using the technology.
The Dutch Breast Cancer Association (BVN) is "not very happy" that AI won't be implemented for at least three years. “With the population screening, we’re faced with the law of diminishing returns,” director Cristina Guerrero Paez said. “We have established an extremely thorough national system in the Netherlands. The downside is that it’s not easy to adapt.”
