1757P - A real-world evaluation of the effectiveness of thermogram along with clinical breast examination in community-based breast cancer screening program

Background

Breast cancer is a crucially prevailing cancer among women. Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer are very important for patient survival. This study was conducted to devise a cost-effective and robust community-based breast cancer screening programme for LMIC.

Methods

All enrolled participants will undergo breast thermogram (BT) using an AI-based Thermalytix test along with clinical breast examination (CBE) by trained health workers. Women found suspicious in either CBE/BT or both will undergo confirmatory tests using Sonomammography (US) and/or Mammography; biopsy, where warranted, will be done to confirm the diagnosis. All symptomatic and asymptomatic women aged above 35 years of age, willing to give written informed consent for study participation were included. Those who are pregnant or lactating, treated for any cancers of breast/thorax, active inflammatory disorders on the skin of the breast, breast implants that can hamper testing using a BT or CBE were excluded from this study. The primary study endpoint is to evaluate the effectiveness of combined modality testing for breast cancer detection in healthy women. The benefit of a combined modality of Thermogram and clinical breast examination (CBE) for cancer detection rate were evaluated.

Results

A total of 3030 (both symptomatic and asymptomatic women) were screened for breast cancers over a period of 6months (Oct 2022 to April 2023). Women residing within a 120square kilometre radius were screened. Patients who were detected with screen abnormality on a thermogram B- Score 4 and above were 561 (18.51%). Six hundred and forty-six subjects (21.3%) who had an abnormality on both thermogram and CBE were recalled for further investigations. Out of which 5 subjects were detected with biopsy-proven breast malignancy (3 were early-stage breast cancer and 2 had locally advanced breast cancer).

Conclusions

Dual modality screening tool improves cancer detection rates, and this demonstrates the efficacy of these tools for breast cancer screening. Thermalytix with its artificial intelligence-based scoring system can assist the health care worker in the detection of breast cancer at a community level.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

R. Ravind.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.