AI for Breast MRI not Ready for Clinical Practice

Leesburg, VA, February 15, 2019—Worldwide interest in the application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to breast MRI is increasing, but current results suggest the developing technology is not yet ready for inclusion in clinical practice, according to a mapping review study published in the February 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).

The new study, “Artificial Intelligence for Breast MRI in 2008–2018: A Systematic Mapping Review,” surveyed original articles on the application of AI to breast MRI in in vivo studies of humans published in peer-reviewed journals from 2008–2018. The authors focused on study design, dataset, study aim(s), AI methods, and diagnostic performance, when available, to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the technology and its potential in four main applications of machine learning (ML) in breast MRI: breast lesion classification, image processing, prognostic imaging, and response to neoadjuvant therapy.

The study authors expect ML—the subset of AI in which computers “learn” to identify patterns in data—will become ubiquitous in radiology as the technology matures and researchers work to turn advances in the analysis of MRI data into improvements in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. They therefore encourage the “close cooperation” of radiologists and computer scientists and engineers to help realize the promise of AI in radiology from its current “technical development phase” to a not-too-distant future of clinically usable AI applications. For more information, visit www.ajronline.org.

Founded in 1900, ARRS is the first and oldest radiology society in the United States, and is an international forum for progress in radiology. The Society's mission is to improve health through a community committed to advancing knowledge and skills in radiology. ARRS achieves its mission through an annual scientific and educational meeting, publication of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) and InPractice magazine, topical symposia and webinars, and print and online educational materials. ARRS is located in Leesburg, VA.