Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Onalisa Winblad, breast imaging specialist, division director, Breast Imaging, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• Ultimately, our goal for these AI tools in breast imaging is to look at our mammograms and assess not only if there's cancer present, but identify patterns that are more commonly going to be cancer in the future.
• All of our images are actually scored through the AI system. So every single image that's taken is given a score of perfect, good, moderate or inadequate. And so from that we can identify trends. It's like a personal coach for each tech. AI is not going to replace physicians, but physicians can use AI to perform their job better.
• These advanced AI tools really provide our technologists with great feedback, and great education, so that they continue to operate at their highest level of ability so that we can make the best diagnosis.
• There are several tools for breast cancer screening. We advocate for routine annual screening mammogram for all patients aged 40 and older, but there are patients that have recommendations for additional screening tests, and those are our patients with dense breast tissue, or patients that are higher than average risk for breast cancer.
• For these two groups of patients, we have additional screening tests that may be indicated, and those are ultrasound, breast MRI, contrast, and enhanced mammography. At KU we offer a wide variety of supplemental screening tools for patients with both dense breast tissue and high risk for breast cancer.
• October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so make sure you're up to date on all of your cancer screening studies. These screening exams help physicians detect cancer at the earliest stage when cancer is treatable.
• For breast cancer screening, start screening at age 40, and get a screening mammogram every year.
• If you're 25 or older, talk with your doctor about cancer risk factors. This will help your doctor determine if you need additional screening studies, or if you need to start screening before age 40.

Tony Jenkins, assistant director of IT initiatives, The University of Kansas Health System

• AI is using information that has been collected through the course of our patient care and through the course of our administrative activities and it's allowing us to analyze vast amounts of data and find patterns that previously were harder to detect by humans, just by looking at all of the data on a screen.
• The entire goal of leveraging AI or any technology that we have available is to use the best in class technology to be able to allow our clinicians to spend more time with patients.
• There is a learning curve to leveraging technology and to understanding how it can operate, but it truly is just using technology that is now available, and it's going to allow us to operate at a higher efficiency and capacity, and it's going to allow us to take care of patients better.
• A study published in the Radiological Society of North America found using AI reduced the overall workload of breast oncologists and radiologists, while improving the screening.
• If you have questions about the technology, please talk to your medical team and they will make sure that you are comfortable with how we're providing care, the tools that we are leveraging, and be able to explain how it helps with patient care.

Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8 a.m. is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. Diet and exercise or bariatric surgery? There are different ways to fight Type 2 diabetes, but which delivers better long-term results? Hear more about a 12-year study offering new insights.

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