A team of Portuguese computer systems engineers has developed software which enables automatic analysis and validation of mammograms.

The research and development team is associated with Portugal’s Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto (INESC Porto), and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto (FEUP).

The software, Semantic PACS, can be incorporated into hospital IT systems and it categorizes each new mammography using automatic descriptive methods and search methods that compare the semantic contents of the images stored. The software can be used for 1/3 of all cases with 100% accuracy in detecting malignant tumors.

According to Jaime Cardoso, a researcher at INESC Porto and Professor at FEUP, “from the patient perspective the main advantage offered by this software is reducing the time taken to diagnose cases and decrease the emotional stress normally associated with the waiting time.”

Semantic PACS, developed in collaboration with the industrial partner Emílio Azevedo Campos, will be presented during the international seminar “Turning Subjective into Objective” (TSIO), to be held on May 13, at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon. The event will gather international specialists in breast cancer treatment.

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