If our goal is to find every breast cancer as early as possible, what does that mean in actual practice?
It means that while established guidelines are important, we have to move beyond them to meet the immediate demands of today, such as the rising rate of breast cancer in younger women.
It means that while established protocols and procedures are important, we have to move beyond them to innovate our daily practice to improve the fundamentals of care.
It means that while established routes to access are important, we have to move beyond them and build both physical and virtual doors to innovation to bridge technology gaps that leave many communities and patients behind.
At Solis Mammography, we believe that the only limitations that exist in mammography exist because the right questions aren’t being asked.
Let’s start with the first question. How can we do this better?
Take a look inside.
ELEVATING THE ART AND SCIENCE OF EARLY DETECTION
Why We Innovate
We innovate on behalf of our patients, bringing them new technologies that can benefit their health. And then we let them decide.
Our methodology behind the evaluation and implementation of new technology is informed by one outcome – if it will help the patient, we will incorporate it. We actively seek the best utility of technology to find breast cancers earlier than ever before. And, now with AI machine learning tools, we're doing that, detecting breast cancers smaller than five millimeters, which has redefined the definition of early.
"You have an obligation to appropriately integrate new technology into patient care. You would be remiss in your obligation to the Hippocratic Oath if you did not."
- Rachel Brem, MD, Director of Breast Imaging and Intervention, The George Washington University Medical Center Solis Mammography CMO Roundtable Member
The Real World Benefit Of AI In Mammography
Reporting from the field
Artificial Intelligence in radiology, particularly in breast imaging, is a game changer. By actualizing AI in our daily practice we’ve removed variability and increased accuracy. Now, every study we read uses a machine learning tool to look at each pixel in a mammography image in the same manner, while comparing it to vast data sets of cancer.
As Dr. Paul Chang of the University of Chicago said in an interview conducted during RSNA 2024, “… we are actually going beyond feasibility studies to show that the implementation of AI in the real world actually positively affects operations, with respect to efficiency or reduced variability. Especially when you look at certain domains, such as breast imaging… I think our colleagues in breast imaging are way ahead of us...”
Solis Mammography has not been timid about putting AI to use in expediting problem solving and decision making to make the most significant advances in screening mammography since the advent of 3D. And not just in finding breast cancers earlier and faster, but also in detecting breast cancers that may have previously been missed in the screening environment.
The new frontier of dual screening
AI is also opening the doors to additional early detection methodologies, such as Solis Mammography's recently launched Mammo+Heart® screening innovation, which uses the same preventive health mindset to detect Breast Arterial Calcification (BAC) through mammography. The presence of BAC in the arteries of the breast has been linked to a 51% higher risk for heart disease and stroke in women.1 This new tool represents the new frontier of dual screening innovation, which can use a single point of access to provide two sets of insight into two critical areas of care.
AI software is designed to study every pixel of every slice of a 3D mammography image to identify signs of an early cancer. Solis Mammography integrated AI-based imaging software into our 3D early detection screening platform in 2021 to improve detection accuracy and patient outcomes.
Who Is The Arbiter Of Access?
The New Patient Paradigm
Our definition of personalized, patient-centered care means that the patient is actively involved in her healthcare journey, choosing new innovations for greater insight as they become available and making healthcare decisions in her own best interests.
Early adopter patient research conducted in 2024 around the benefit of Mammo+Heart® found that 80% of respondents found value in the report, with more than 30% following up with their Primary Care Provider or OB/GYN and almost 20% scheduling a consultation with a cardiologist. Many patients also noted that they modified dietary and fitness behaviors based on the results.
However, the question remains: is the medical community ready for an independent and autonomous patient? A patient who can not only self-schedule an annual mammogram, but who can also opt into a new screening technology for a self-directed wellness journey?
As AI continues to open doors to a more holistic approach to wellness screenings for women, the conversation has begun – and will continue.
Mammo+Heart®
Extending our mission of early detection to heart health – to save even more
lives.
How we're impacting the leading cause of death in women.
Using well-established screening avenues to create needed access points for under-accessed areas of women's wellness is a beneficial strategy that is guiding our intervention into heart health. With our annual compliance rate of 76% as a proof point, we have successfully involved patients in their own breast health, leading to an understanding of the importance of an annual screening mammogram. Using a mammogram as a doorway into cardiovascular health can lead to insight that a presymptomatic patient may not typically have access to and uncover actionable intelligence that can positively impact her future. Of the more than 22,000 patients already screened with Mammo+Heart®, 20% had a positive result.
Mammo+Heart® screening software combines machine learning with mammography to look for one specific finding: calcium within the arteries of the breast. As calcium deposits form, the vessel wall becomes stiffer and less elastic and can lead to increased pressure on the heart as it works to pump blood through the vessels. There is “strong evidence for an association between BAC and coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and increased risk of cardiovascular death,” as reported in the Journal of Breast Imaging, cited here. Patients with this finding may be candidates for additional cardiovascular screening by their primary care physician or cardiologist.
“Early detection with breast imaging saves lives,” said Chirag Parghi, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Solis Mammography. “Early detection with the heart can save a lot of lives, too.”
For additional clinical insight into BAC and its association with cardiovascular risk, go here
"Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Women get their mammograms more than they go to a cardiologist. This is a moment where we can have a huge impact on women's health."
- Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, Preventive Cardiologist Solis Mammography CMO Roundtable Member
Hear more about the confluence of breast imaging and preventive cardiology in women from Dr. Chirag Parghi and Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum.
Research Update
Celebrating a banner year in research and awards.
Moving the practice of breast imaging forward.
Solis Mammography’s unique national footprint and innovation leadership expertise have made us the research partner of choice for technology and equipment innovators in the field of breast imaging and women’s health. Our collaboration and active involvement can drive visibility and awareness, leading to a consistent cadence of both conversation and change that can push the industry forward.
Research Spotlight
The three studies below used large-scale patient cohorts and demonstrated significant conclusions:
• Racial disparities in healthcare are well established. AI-enhanced cancer detection is accurate across races and densities, which highlights how AI-enabled mammography can overcome these traditional barriers.
• Breast arterial calcification is a real finding that is often overlooked in mammography. Additionally, our study showed that breast cancer patients have this finding at a greater prevalence than non-cancer patients.
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Three abstracts were presented in the December 2024 symposium, including: Use of an AI Algorithm to Determine the Prevalence of Breast Arterial Calcification in Women Undergoing Screening Mammograms Based on Race, Age and Cancer Status. The team shared deeper insight into the discovery of BAC in specific screening populations through mammography.
Society of Breast Imaging Montreal Symposium
Dr. Zi (Jill) Zhang presented Jefferson Health and Solis Mammography's collaborative research project on AI in breast cancer detection. Dr. Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Jefferson Health, which is Solis Mammography’s health system partner in the Greater Philadelphia area. Her presentation offered a deep dive into the association of AI case scores and cancer characteristics.
European Society of Radiology Annual Meeting
Solis Mammography won a Certificate of Merit Award for our poster on Breast Arterial Calcification as a Proxy for Broader Vessel Disease at the European Society of Radiology (ESR) annual meeting in Vienna. The ESR’s European Congress of Radiology is one of the leading international events in radiology.
For a list of recent research initiatives, go here
If you'd asked me three years ago how mammography should be practiced, I would've said, "let's follow the guidelines." Today, I think differently. Today, I see the benefit of taking risks, asking questions and challenging the status quo. Why are we reading mammograms like this? Why aren't we incorporating technology into every facet of our decision making? How can we see more patients by the hour – and see diagnostic patients even faster? How can we improve access in our communities. And, even more importantly, how can we use a mammogram as a portal to gain insight into other urgent aspects of women's health?
That's the beauty of this moment in time because we're only limited by our curiosity. Technology is allowing us to move beyond established practices to find the answers to our questions that will continue to fuel our progress. And benefit our patients.
Technology is showing us the way. It's time to move beyond guidelines – and guardrails.
Trends We’re Seeing
Breast cancer mortality rates are dropping; however, incidence rates are rising in younger women. What needs to change?
Breast Cancer Risk Does Not Start at 40.
Is 35 the New 40?
As an industry, we need more consistent clarity around the “start at 40 guidelines.”
Only women of average risk should start at 40. Women with a higher risk of getting breast cancer should have a baseline mammogram by age 35 – or earlier.
The American Cancer Society’s recent 2024 Breast Cancer Statistics Report noted that while breast cancer mortality rates have dropped 44% since 1989, there is a continued upward trend in the incidence of breast cancer. The report shows a 1% rise occurring annually during 2012 to 2021, with the steepest increase in women under 50.2 Other research efforts have shown a higher incidence of breast cancer in Black women in an even younger cohort, between the ages of 20 and 29, with a 53% increased risk compared to white women in the same age group.3, 4
At Solis Mammography, we align our screening recommendations with the evidence-based protocols and guidelines of national societies and institutions, such as the American College of Radiology, the Society of Breast Imaging, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which recommend annual screenings beginning at age 40 for average risk women. However, too often, patients are unaware of their breast cancer risk until they get into a regular screening environment.
Our recommendation for younger women is to have a personal breast cancer risk assessment performed no later than age 25 and work with their primary care provider on a breast health plan that will include when to start annual screening, whether genetic testing or supplemental ultrasound or MRI screening is recommended, and how to perform breast self-exams.
“The biggest thing for young women under 40 is to empower themselves. Make sure they are advocating for themselves to get risk assessments and early screening.”
- Islamiat Ego-Osuala, MD | Breast Imaging Radiologist, Washington Radiology
2024/2025 American Cancer Society Report
2.2 %
For the years 2012 – 2021: Breast Cancer Rises in Younger Women
Women in their 20s: 2.2% annual increase in incidence of breast cancer
1.4%
Women in their 20s, 30s and 40s: 1.4% annual increase in incidence of breast cancer
TIPS FOR YOUNGER WOMEN.
Get a breast cancer risk assessment no later than age 25. Begin breast self-exams in your 20s so you know what's normal for you. Almost 80% of young women with breast cancer find it themselves.5
If you are between 35 and 40 and of average risk, consider getting a baseline mammogram and annual screenings. Manage the risk factors you can control, like alcohol consumption. A new advisory from the Surgeon General notes that 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption.
Trends We’re Shaping
Advancing care pathways to benefit our patients.
Remote Reading: Removing barriers to innovation, expertise and immediacy.
Solis Mammography’s ongoing commitment to providing access to the time-critical screening and diagnostic imaging needs of our patients has expanded into a new arena. Our highly skilled, sub-specialized breast imaging radiologists are no longer limited by physical location or geography. Through sophisticated remote reading platforms, we can now maximize our capabilities across all markets and raise the standard of care while delivering consistently fast results.
For example, a fellowship trained breast radiologist in Arizona can interpret mammograms for patients who had their screening appointments at a Florida center, providing much needed access to scheduling opportunities that are no longer dependent upon on-site reading. An added benefit is the access to innovation, which allows patients in markets with limited AI availability to tap into leading-edge AI-based screening tools, such as Mammo+Heart®, and the accompanying expertise necessary to render the results.
barriers to Al innovation and expertise
By supporting our physical footprint with sophisticated remote reading platforms, we're expanding the definition of expert, patient-centered care.
Activates fellowshiptrained breast radiologists from anywhere
Expands appointment avallability to serve more patients
Diagnostic tele-appointments for more immediate access
Accelerates access to diagnostic appointments for faster results
The benefit is also on the diagnostic side of care. Patients will soon have more immediate access to critically important breast imaging appointments with a diagnostic tele-appointment option. Patients will be able to accelerate scheduling by selecting an in-center appointment with a skilled onsite technologist and an off-site breast specialized radiologist connected through a secure telehealth channel. Following diagnostic imaging performed by the technologist, the radiologist will conduct a video consult with the technologist and if necessary, with the patient, providing real-time exam results and personalized interaction for greater peace of mind. This new advancement is currently being tested in key markets.
EMPOWER YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION.
Know Your Family History:
Know which family members, on both sides of your family, have been diagnosed with breast, ovarian, prostate and other types of cancer, and when they were diagnosed. Don’t ignore your father’s side of the family. Genes for breast cancer can be passed down from your father, too.
Partner With Your Physician:
Your physician can help you understand the screening regimen that’s right for you. If you are average risk, you will typically begin annual screening mammograms at age 40. If you are high risk, your screening protocol will start earlier than 40.
Opening Doors. Changing Lives.
For almost 40 years, we’ve focused on advancing and humanizing patient-centered care.
“Growth provides access and access changes lives. Our goal with every market and every community we enter is to advance our mission of early breast cancer detection. We know that when we change the way mammography is experienced through innovative practices, improved technology and compassionate, patient-centered care, we can make a difference.”
-Grant Davies, CEO, Solis Mammography
Growth and its meaning to communities.
Growth brings discovery. And a greater opportunity to serve more patients. As we continue to expand into new markets, we've discovered that many communities have a limited access to breast imaging services, with the availability of a screening appointment often weeks, if not months away. Our first goal is to provide greater access for both patients and the physicians who serve them, creating a more responsive cadence to the needs of the community.
Our second goal is to activate our proven early-detection screening platform and our trademarked peace of mind mammogram approach to mammography, which empowers and engages patients in their own breast health – not just annually, but for a lifetime.
Citations
Our Care Coordination Program is compassion in action.
The diagnostic pathway for a breast imaging patient can be an overwhelming experience if there is no one there to guide them. That’s the ongoing mission of Solis Mammography’s Care Coordination Program, which was developed as a comprehensive care approach to support the totality of a patient’s breast biopsy experience from scheduling to the reporting of results.
Staffed with highly trained team members with an extraordinary commitment to the patient experience, the Program is a non-clinical, human-centered model developed in response to our decades of insight into the complexities of care. Each Care Coordinator works with benign, high-risk and malignant patients, serving as the intermediary between the patient, the radiologist, referring providers, center staff and nurse navigators if a personal handoff into an oncology pathway is necessary.
Each year, the team facilitates more than 10,000 biopsies. Each biopsy represents a patient who received a timely result, a clear direction, and a personalized and caring experience.
Resources
Clinical insight into Breast Arterial Calcification and its association with cardiovascular risk: Go here. About Mammo+Heart®: Go here.
CMO Roundtable Series: Go here. Recent research efforts and awards: Go here.
1. American Heart Association. Cardiovascular Imaging Journal Report. "Mammograms may provide clues about women's risk for cardiovascular disease." https://newsroom.heart.org/news/mammograms-may-provide-clues-about-womens-risk-for-cardiovascular-disease. 15 Mar. 2022.
2. American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2024-2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc. 2024.
3. Strait, Julia Evangelou. “Breast Cancer Rates Increasing among Younger Women.” Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 26 Jan. 2024, medicine.wustl.edu/news/breast-cancer-rates-increasing-among-younger-women/.
4. Xu, Shuai, et al. “Breast Cancer Incidence among US Women Aged 20 to 49 Years by Race, Stage, and Hormone Receptor Status.” JAMA Network Open, vol. 7, no. 1, 26 Jan. 2024, p. e2353331, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814306, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.53331
5. Brem, Rachel, and Christy Teal. No Longer Radical. Simon and Schuster, 16 May 2023, p. 117, chapter 6/You Have Breast Cancer at a Young Age
Headquartered in Addison, Texas, Solis Mammography operates more than 150 centers in 20 major markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, South Louisiana, Utah, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Greater Philadelphia, Columbus, Nashville, North Carolina, Virginia, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Gainesville, Florida. Its affiliated brand, Washington Radiology, operates centers in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The company operates both wholly owned centers and multiple successful joint venture partnerships with large hospital systems and prominent medical and academic institutions.
