A recent study has demonstrated that routine breast cancer screening mammograms can also be used to detect signs of heart disease in women, potentially addressing the long-standing issue of underdiagnosed cardiovascular conditions in this population. Researchers from Tel Aviv University, Israel, presented their findings at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress in Munich.

The study analysed 97,364 mammogram scans from 29,921 women, with an average age of 54. By cross-referencing these images with medical records, the researchers identified that approximately 16% of the women had high blood pressure, 2.5% had coronary heart disease, and 2.5% had suffered a stroke. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the team developed a machine-learning model trained to recognise patterns in mammograms indicative of these cardiovascular conditions.

The AI demonstrated an ability to correctly identify women who had experienced a stroke 86% of the time. For high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, detection reliability was 79% and 78%, respectively. These results held consistent across varying ages and regardless of the presence of breast cancer, indicating the model’s potential broad applicability. The researchers are continuing to refine the model to improve accuracy and expand the range of detectable heart conditions.

Experts highlighted the significance of this approach, noting that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide yet is frequently diagnosed late or misdiagnosed. Dr Viana Copeland, who presented the research, emphasised that many women access mammography screening routinely in midlife, a critical period for cardiovascular risk assessment, whereas they may not have sought medical attention for heart-related symptoms. She suggested that leveraging breast screening for dual purposes could offer a scalable and non-invasive opportunity for earlier detection and intervention without the need for additional imaging tests.

The findings garnered support from cardiology specialists, including Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist. She noted that despite heart disease being the top cause of death for both men and women globally, there persists a misconception that it predominantly affects men. This has contributed to women being underrepresented in cardiovascular research and underdiagnosed in clinical settings. Dr Babu-Narayan expressed optimism that AI-enhanced mammogram analysis could lead to earlier identification and prevention of heart disease in women, improving health outcomes.

The research raises the possibility of transforming current breast cancer screening programmes into dual-purpose platforms that also assess cardiovascular risk, potentially benefiting millions of women worldwide who undergo mammography annually. However, experts caution that further validation and clinical testing are needed before such AI models can be integrated into routine practice. The next steps involve confirming the technology’s accuracy and reliability in broader populations and determining how best to incorporate cardiovascular risk findings into standard care pathways.