To prevent unnecessary biopsies, scientists train an AI model to predict breast cancer risk from MRI scans

A biopsy that turns out to have benign results can be a relief. But in some cases, it could also mean a patient whose risk of cancer was low from the start has gone through an unnecessarily invasive procedure. By and large, radiologists recommend that patients whose breast MRI scans raise suspicion of a cancerous growth get a biopsy done. But MRIs often pick up on benign lesions that other mammograms and ultrasound may not. This leads to some patients having their lesions falsely classified as higher risk than they are, and undergoing a biopsy.