AI Tool Uses Mammograms to Detect Common Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease, encompassing hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and stroke, is the leading cause of death in women. Many cases are detected late, as symptoms can be subtle and routine screening pathways rarely address heart risk. Late recognition limits opportunities for prevention and timely therapy. A new study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2026 reports that AI applied to routine mammograms could help identify common cardiovascular diseases earlier in women who already attend breast screening.

Researchers at Chaim Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University developed a deep learning approach that extracts cardiovascular signals from standard mammography images. The system examines imaging features associated with hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and prior stroke. By reusing images already acquired for breast cancer screening, the method could extend risk detection without additional imaging or radiation.

In a retrospective cohort study, investigators analyzed 97,364 mammograms from 29,921 women with a median age of 54 years. Cardiovascular diagnoses were derived from electronic medical records, medication prescriptions, and procedural and imaging findings. The cohort prevalence was 16% for hypertension and 2.5% each for ischemic heart disease and stroke.

The model discriminated between women with and without each condition with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.79 for hypertension, 0.78 for ischemic heart disease, and 0.86 for stroke. Performance was consistent when stratified by cancer status and age. The team is working to improve accuracy, reduce false positives and false negatives, and explore whether mammograms could help detect additional cardiovascular conditions.

“Because mammography is already widely used, analyzing the same images for cardiovascular information could potentially offer a scalable approach without requiring an additional imaging examination. Mammography also reaches many women in midlife, an important period for recognizing and addressing cardiovascular risk,” said Dr. Viana Copeland of Chaim Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University.

Related Links
Chaim Sheba Medical Center
Tel Aviv University
European Society of Cardiology