In February, LBCA sponsored a guest lectureship by LBCA and Sarah Bieze ILC research grantee Dr. Manisha Bahl of Mass General Brigham. Dr. Bahl described how she was struck by the incidences of women who had a clear annual mammogram only to be diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) within the year.
She explained why ILC is difficult to detect and how advanced imaging and AI are helping overcome the challenges of its subtle presentation. She highlighted the limitations of standard imaging, the need for more breast cancer detection algorithms trained on less common cancer subtypes, and the growing role of digital breast tomosynthesis, contrast-enhanced mammography, and breast MRI in ILC diagnosis and recurrence detection. She also discussed the AI tools designed to assess architectural and textural changes found with ILC. She emphasized the importance of helping clinicians determine where AI is most useful while also recognizing areas where it may fall short, to ultimately support more informed patient care.