Traditionally, risk models used age, family history and genetics. AI adds a powerful signal: the mammogram itself. Breast density, subtle tissue patterns and changes between screenings carry information about future risk that the human eye cannot fully exploit.
By combining these signals, AI can rank women by individual risk. High-risk women might be screened more often or by MRI; low-risk women less intensively — making screening both safer and more efficient.
What risk models can do
- Estimate the chance of developing cancer within five years
- Identify women who benefit from additional MRI screening
- Reduce over-screening of women at genuinely low risk
- Tailor screening intervals to each woman's biology
Risk prediction is a probability, not a verdict. No model can state with certainty that a person will develop cancer.