Oct. 12, 2026 by Sophia Karrel (‘29)
Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Each year, approximately 2.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop the disease during their lifetime. With October recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is a valuable time to highlight some of the innovative research, promising treatments, and emerging technologies that are advancing breast cancer research and care.
1. Integration of Artificial Intelligence
While conversations surrounding artificial intelligence often revolve around its unfavorable and detrimental aspects, AI is playing a positive role in patient diagnoses and treatments.
AI is being integrated into radiology to help detect early signs of breast cancer that may be missed by humans. Specific AI softwares are fed large datasets of mammograms, which they use to create a standard reference of healthy breast tissue. The software can then use this reference to detect minute variations in a mammogram that may be abnormal. Because this software uses artificial intelligence, it can learn and become more accurate over time. Further development of this technology could allow for more accurate results and earlier diagnoses of breast cancer.
Companies such as Clairity, Inc. are using AI to innovate new screening methods. Clairity, Inc. developed Clairity Breast, an FDA-authorized AI software program that analyzes mammograms and predicts a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. This technology could have a significant impact because it provides a more personalized risk assessment rather than basing risk solely on a woman’s age and family history.
2. Applications of ctDNA
ctDNA is DNA shed by cancers cells that advance technology can detect in the bloodstream. Extracting this DNA through liquid biopsies of blood draws is becoming an increasingly standard practice. Liquid biopsies are less invasive than taking samples directly from the cancer tissue and could allow for cancer detection before symptoms occur.
Liquid biopsies could help monitor the effectiveness of treatments since research shows a correlation between lower ctDNA levels and decreases in tumor size. ctDNA testing may help doctors identify signs of cancer recurrence. As this technology continues to advance, it could provide more information about a patient’s cancer while reducing the need for invasive procedures.
3. Breast Cancer Vaccines
While there are currently no FDA-approved or publicly available breast cancer vaccines, several research projects are in the early stages of clinical trials. Researchers are exploring ways to identify genetic markers found in or on breast cancer cells that are not present in healthy cells. By targeting these differences, scientists hope to develop vaccines that help the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Breast cancer vaccine research focuses on both prevention and treatment. Preventive vaccines aim to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, while therapeutic vaccines are designed to help the body fight existing cancer. One approach to a treatment vaccine involves removing immune cells from a patient and exposing it to the identifying structures that label a cell as cancerous in a lab. These trained immune cells are then returned to the patient, where they should remember the markers of cancerous cells and be more equipped to attack them. Although these treatments are still being studied, researchers hope they will lead to more effective approaches to breast cancer treatments in the future.
Sources:
Clairity Breast FDA Approved | Breast Cancer Research Foundation
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Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Detect Breast Cancer