AI-Driven Risk Assessment: Implementing Clarity Breast in Clinical Practice

In the evolving landscape of preventative oncology, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is shifting the focus from mere detection to proactive risk prediction. Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, provided insight into how Clarity Breast AI is redefining the standard screening experience.

Traditional screening mammography has long served as the gold standard for identifying existing abnormalities; however, it often lacks the ability to forecast a patient's long-term trajectory. Clarity Breast bridges this gap by utilizing AI algorithms to analyze standard 2D mammograms—the same images women already receive during routine appointments—to calculate a personalized 5-year risk score.

A key distinction in this clinical model is the independence of the AI's findings from the radiologist's manual interpretation. By generating a separate, data-driven report, the technology provides a "second look" that does not interfere with the radiologist’s diagnostic workflow, ensuring that both current health and future risk are addressed as 2 distinct, vital pieces of information. This approach empowers clinicians to move beyond a "one-size-fits-all" screening model and toward a more tailored, high-precision strategy for breast cancer prevention.

Mittendorf is chief of Multi-Disciplinary Oncology, co-leader of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the co-leader of the Breast Program for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

Transcript:

Clarity Breast is an innovative technology that uses artificial intelligence to look at a woman’s standard 2D mammogram, the mammogram they’d be getting for their routine screening, and it is able to calculate a woman’s 5-year risk of developing breast cancer.

Clarity Breast, even though it’s AI applied to a mammogram, it makes you think that a radiologist would be involved. There doesn’t have to be a radiologist involved at all. In fact, as we’ve established [with] our program at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the radiologist is interpreting that mammogram as they always have, independent of not knowing that Clarity risk score. These are 2 different pieces of information. First is the radiologist read, which, again, is the standard. This is what we do with screening mammograms. A report goes to the patient about that, and then a second, independent report that––again, the radiologist doesn’t have in their hands as they’re doing their initial interpretation––[is done] to suggest the 5-year risk.