iCAD’s ProFound AI Suite Uncovers Hidden Heart Disease Risk According to New Data Presented at American College of Cardiology Meeting

Study confirms iCAD’s Breast Arterial Calcification AI Algorithm successfully detects calcification of breast vessels, an indicator of cardiovascular disease, from mammograms

NASHUA, N.H., April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD), a global leader in clinically proven AI-powered cancer detection solutions, announced today that new data indicates its AI-powered solution effectively uncovers calcium deposits in the breast vessels, a sign of possible cardiovascular disease in women. iCAD research collaborator Chirag Parghi, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Solis Mammography, presented the findings at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting taking place April 6 - 8, 2024, in Atlanta, GA.

For the study, Dr. Parghi and his team included mammograms from a multiracial cohort of 117,189 women, using iCAD’s ProFound AI Heart Healthⁱ solution, specifically designed for Breast Arterial Calcification (BAC) detection. The 15-site prospective study included 2D screening mammograms from women ages 20 to 100, with a median age of 56.

“The ProFound BAC AI algorithm may provide a critical surrogate biomarker for women at risk of heart disease or stroke,” said Dana Brown, president and CEO of iCAD. “We are thrilled to be able to collaborate with Solis Mammography on this state-of-the-art software that gives women the power of knowing—earlier—if they are at potential risk of heart disease during a routine screening mammogram. This provides women valuable information that may lead to obtaining additional cardiovascular screening. We anticipate that ProFound Heart Health will positively impact cardiovascular disease prevention for women as iCAD’s ProFound Detection and Risk solutions do for breast cancer.”

Analyzing the data of the prospective study involving 117,189 women, Dr. Parghi and his team found the overall prevalence of BAC (score >1) was 14.8%. Prevalence increased with age, with a 4.2% prevalence in women under 50 years old, 9.0% in women aged 50-59, 19.9% in women in the 60-69 year-old age group, and 40.7% in women 70 years and above. Future work includes tracking patients longitudinally to identify associated cardiovascular risk factors and guiding primary care physicians in managing patients with detected BAC. The study also suggests the ProFound Heart Health AI algorithm can standardize BAC detection, potentially improving efficiency and reducing variability among observers. These findings also align with previous literature emphasizing the association between BAC and cardiovascular risk, underscoring potential opportunity of BAC detection on screening mammography for women’s health.