An algorithm could play a major role in helping radiologists diagnose cancer early, accurately

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women, and it is difficult to diagnose. Nearly 1 in 10 cancers is misdiagnosed as not cancerous; on the other hand, the more mammograms a woman has, the greater the chance she will see a false positive result and face an unnecessary invasive procedure--most likely a biopsy. More accurate diagnostic techniques are emerging. But what if instead we relied on the guidance of an algorithm? Assad Oberai, Hughes Professor in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, asked this exact question in a recent paper published in ScienceDirect.