'We're going to save lives': Routine breast cancer test could be used to screen heart disease

It's the routine test taken by millions of Australian women to detect breast cancer, but there are new details of how mammograms and artificial intelligence could be used to detect heart disease.

Each year, approximately 1.8 million Australian women participate in free mammogram screenings provided by BreastScreen clinics. 

Researchers at the George Institute for Global Health have now developed an AI algorithm that analyses the tests to identify subtle indicators of cardiovascular risk.

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The AI model examines mammograms for signs such as calcium build-up in arteries, alongside the woman's age, to predict the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke. 

This two-for-one screening approach was designed and validated using routine mammograms from 49,000 women across Victoria, linking that data to their hospital and death records.

Researchers compared the AI model to traditional methods in testing for cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol. 

They found that screening using mammograms worked just as well.

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"We're leveraging a tool that women engage with," Associate Professor Clare Arnott from the George Institute said. 

"BreastScreen is tremendous. 

"Fifty per cent of eligible women biannually attend and if we can enable those women to have both breast cancer screening and cardiovascular screening, we're absolutely going to save lives."

Experts say heart disease in women is underdiagnosed and undertreated, and mammograms could be a cost-effective solution.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.