OBJECTIVES:

Breast cancer is ranked number one cancer among females according to various population- based cancer registries and is leading cause of cancer death in India. Survival rates in India is quite low due to accessibility and affordability issues. Thermalytix is a novel automated breast cancer screening solution that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) over thermal images to detect and localize breast cancer lesions in women. The major objectives of the study are to evaluate clinical and cost effectiveness of Thermalytix over Thermography and Mammography, among symptomatic and asymptomatic women as there is a critical need for a method to detect breast cancer at an early stage.

METHODS:

A comprehensive search was performed at various electronic databases. Quantitative data was pooled in statistical meta- analysis using Cochrane Review Manager (RevMan), to compare the diagnostic test accuracy of Thermalytix, Thermography and Mammography. A decision tree-based model was built for assessing cost effectiveness of Thermalytix when compared to that of Mammography from patient perspective.

RESULTS:

Thermalytix, the computer aided diagnostic device, has been shown to have outperformed thermography and mammography with higher pooled sensitivity 0.94 , specificity 0.84, when compared to Thermography (Sensitivity- 0.91 & Specificity- 0.80) and Mammography (Sensitivity- 0.77, Specificity- 0.96). Thermalytix was found to be more cost effective than Mammography at Rs.8403.57per DALY averted with NMB (Net Monetary Benefit) of Rs.1763.69.

CONCLUSIONS:

Thermalytix can be used for mass screening, being a cost effective tool and can also act as a low cost, portable, non-invasive, non-intrusive and radiation free test compared to that of the existing screening modalities. It can be of great help in detecting breast abnormalities at an early stage in low and middle- income countries (LMICs) where mammography is less feasible or not accessible or economically scalable. It also works for women aged anywhere between 18- and 82-years including women with dense breasts.