Why AI is a Girl’s Breast Friend

Can AI Help Catch Breast Cancer? The Surprising Answer.

 

October is almost upon us! Every year, we see the famous pink ribbons that mean another Breast Cancer Awareness Month has arrived. Unfortunately, even with all the progress that’s been made, women are still being diagnosed with and dying of breast cancer in large numbers. The World Health Organization reported that as recently as 2020, over 2 million people received a breast cancer diagnosis and 685,000 succumbed to breast cancer. Those who survive breast cancer are lucky, but they are also more likely to face a range of health challenges even after they’ve been treated — including lymphedema and pelvic floor issues. For all women affected by breast cancer, we owe it to them to do everything to help them survive and thrive.  

 

So, what is AI, anyway?

 

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, utilizes computers and machines to mimic human performance, and that includes the performance of doctors!  AI can check you for skin cancer, discover if you have COVID-19 by hearing you cough, and interpret mammograms. Pretty amazing, right?

 

Why doctors need help from AI

 

Although we don’t like to think about it, a radiologist could possibly miss breast cancer while reading a mammography. Did you know, in fact, The National Cancer Institute believes that approximately 20 percent of breast cancers may remain undiagnosed after mammograms? And as we all know, early detection and treatment for breast cancer can make all the difference. 

 

AI has the potential to help mammography become a more powerful breast cancer detection tool, allowing it to discover 20% more breast cancers, according to the initial results of a Swedish study published in August of this year. The doctors in the study also spent 44% less time looking at mammograms, thanks to AI. Less time with images equals more available time for patients, and any patient who has been rushed by a stressed doctor can see the potential benefits of that!   

 

What AI means for the future of breast cancer screening

 

This doesn’t mean AI will or should put doctors out of business. Computer scientist Peter Kecskemethy, co-founder of Kheiron Medical Technologies, told The New York Times, “An AI-plus-doctor should replace [a] doctor alone, but an AI should not replace the doctor.” Humans are still vital to providing healthcare—that’s not changing any time soon! But powerful tools can make us more powerful healthcare providers. In the same way physical therapists rely on tools like foam rollers and dilators to supplement care, these radiologists may some day rely on AI.

 

AI may not be used at your next mammography, but it might eventually. I look forward to reading more about AI’s potential in all aspects of healthcare, as I have a feeling we haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg.   

 

https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-improves-breast-cancer-detection-rate-20-percent-swedish-study/

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/technology/artificial-intelligence-breast-cancer-detection.html

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8661054/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9255500/

 

https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence

Could Physical Therapy Be Even Better Than Surgery or Medicine?

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my job as a pelvic floor physical therapist is helping patients realize that treating pelvic floor conditions doesn’t have to mean having surgery or taking medicine. Yes, surgery and medicine can be vital tools when the body is misbehaving, and you should always consult with your doctor when deciding on a treatment, but surgery and medicine are not without their drawbacks. Surgery is risky. Medicine can have side effects. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a less frightening option, and helps with a wide range of pelvic floor conditions.

In fact, according to UC San Diego Health, the majority of pelvic health conditions do not require surgery and can be resolved by more conservative methods, including the pelvic floor physical therapy I regularly administer in my practice as a pelvic floor physical therapist in New York City. Of course this isn’t just limited to the pelvic floor. Patients with other conditions can benefit from physical therapy as well. Harvard has noted how it can be “as good as surgery and less risky” for lumbar spinal stenosis, a form of low back pain.

The New York Times recently published an article entitled “When to Try Physical Therapy Before Surgery.” The article looks at Dr. Lindsey Plass, a physical therapist who was diagnosed with the hip issue femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (F.A.I.). A surgeon told her that she had to have hip arthroscopy if she wanted to have any chance to run in marathons ever again. Despite the recommendation, Plass was unsure it would help. But taking a chance on physical therapy paid off. She was able to get back into marathons and never had to go under the knife thanks to physical therapy.

One drawback to physical therapy? It can require more patience, as it is a process that can take months and sometimes years, but for so many, it is the better option. Still doubt the power of pelvic floor physical therapy? Many of my patients have seen life-changing improvements from the pelvic floor physical therapy they’ve received from Revitalize Physical Therapy. On my Google reviews page, for instance, Anya mentions how we cured (yes, cured!) her prolapsed bladder after childbirth in only a few weeks, while Elka raves about how I helped her diastasis recti, a postpartum abdominal muscle separation.

Do you have a pelvic floor condition that’s getting in the way of you being the best and happiest version of yourself? Or do you just feel weird “down there” and you’re not really sure what’s going on? Have you heard about pelvic floor physical therapy, and are you perhaps curious how or if it might be able to help? It costs nothing to find out if pelvic floor physical therapy can
change your life, and you have everything to gain! Click the button on the upper right corner of this page to schedule a free phone consultation with me to discuss the difference pelvic floor physical therapy can make in your life.

Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22346-diastasis-recti
https://health.ucsd.edu/care/gynecology/urogynecology/#treatmenthttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/in-depth/bladder-control-
problems/art-20044220
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/colorectal-surgery/pelvic.html

https://www.ajmc.com/view/pelvic-floor-disorders-part-2-barriers-to-effective-treatment
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/physical-therapy-as-good-as-surgery-and-less-risky-for-one-
type-of-lower-back-pain-201504097863