Our Goal: Improve Breast Cancer Screening
in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
May 22, 2019
Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research and xtLytics LLC have joined forces to develop an innovative breast imaging tool that uses deep-learning models and low-resolution breast ultrasound imaging technology, to triage palpable breast lumps and ensure that women with suspicious lesions get seen expeditiously.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries, it is primarily a disease of young women. Many of these countries do not have the trained radiologists and other medical professionals or the diagnostics tools necessary to provide women with screening. As a result, most women will feel a lump and then wait months and travel long distances before they have the lump examined by a health care provider.
In 2016, the National Cancer Institute awarded a $3 million grant to Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research to continue the development of a technology aimed at addressing this serious issue for women’s health. The $3 million Phase II award came after a successful $1 million Phase I award.
A Dana Farber Cancer Institute study found that more than 80 percent of breast lumps are found to be benign. A low-cost, portable and easy to use handheld ultrasound device powered by an AI-enabled mobile app that can be brought to women in their communities and used by non-radiologist health care workers to triage these breast lumps has the potential to transform long waits for breast cancer diagnosis. It will also ensure only those women who are likely to a cancerous lump travel to local hospitals for additional tests.
The model is trained on millions of precise, low-resolution breast ultrasound images and known BI-RADS® Score. It learns to classify even the most granular patterns in breast lesions as benign or malignant.
“While screening has been the focus in western countries, in developing countries breast cancer most commonly presents as a palpable lump in women younger than 50 years old,” says Dr. Susan Love, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.“ The most common type of palpable breast lumps in young women can be seen on an ultrasound and fewer than 25% are cancer.”
“Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research is a uniquely collaborative nonprofit model,” says Christopher Clinton Conway, CEO of Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. “The work with xtLytics is exemplary of our ability to amplify resources through innovative partnerships in our mission to save lives and prevent deaths from breast cancer.”
Deepak Mittal, CEO of xtLytics, says, “We are fervent believers in medical technology as the great equalizer. We have long been committed to serving low- and middle-income countries and democratizing access to quality health care. Today we are proudly deploying our deep learning, AI-powered models in early disease diagnosis—combining decades of model building expertise in healthcare and engaging stakeholders across all levels in the sector and the most technologically advanced analytics solutions. We look forward to introducing and scaling many more such solutions in collaboration with Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.”
The head of Prevent and Control disease lab at xtLytics, Upal Roy, says, “Artificial intelligence and deep learning-based algorithms have unmatched potential to make an impact across the health care value chain. This is just the first step of a thousand-mile journey.”
About Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research® (www. drsusanloveresearch.org)
Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research is dedicated to mobilizing a future without breast cancer by igniting visionary, collaborative research, with a distinctive approach to education. The Foundation makes innovative breast cancer research possible by generating bold ideas and enlisting the best experts, both inside and outside the field of cancer research, in order to better understand the complex nature of breast cancer and the experience of those impacted by the disease. Its approach to education reflects an understanding of the patient, the doctor and research advances–ensuring that everyone has the knowledge to be their own health advocate.
Learn more at DrSusanLoveResearch.org and connect with the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
About xtLytics® (www.xtLytics.ai
xtLytics LLC is an AI-enabled Analytics and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform. Thanks to a combination of our proprietary data management, analytics, deep-learning AI algorithms and RPA platform along with transformation apps, xtLytics enables business leaders to extract transformational insights across all enterprise levels and automate tasks at an unmatched pace across industries. Our team can help accelerate your success thanks to decades of Artificial Intelligence (AI) model induction, business acumen, and industry expertise.
For more information contact Upal Roy at xtLytics LLC. , 508-918-9842.
Media contacts:
Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research: Bailey Putman, 310-828-0060, ext. 126 or