澳大利亚联邦、州和领地政府已批准对BreastScreen Australia实施重大改革，将现有的年龄统一筛查模式转变为基于个人风险因素的分层筛查方法[1]。新框架将采用乳腺密度评估、对比成像和AI预测模型等技术，以便更精准地识别和针对高风险女性进行早期癌症检测[1]。
改革背景源于现有筛查体系的局限。澳大利亚每年诊断乳腺癌超过20,000例，约3,000名女性死于该病[1]。尽管现有筛查可预防50至74岁女性中最多50%的乳腺癌死亡，但参与率仅为52%，远低于70%的目标[1]。一项基于BRAIx AI工具的研究表明，风险评分最高的十分之一女性在4年内的患癌率很高，即使在标准筛查显示正常后依然存在风险[1]。Associate Professor Carolyn Nickson表示："我们知道可以识别出可能受益于比标准筛查更强化筛查方案的女性群体"[1]。
该项改革预计耗资巨大。联邦政府已投资130万澳元启动该计划，政府建模显示10年完整实施成本可能达20亿澳元[1]。改革将分阶段超过10年实施，期间BreastScreen Australia将继续正常运营[1]。
Australian federal, state, and territory governments have approved a new national strategy framework for BreastScreen Australia that replaces age-based uniform screening with a risk-stratified approach tailored to individual vulnerability [1]. The framework incorporates risk factors such as breast density and deploys advanced technologies including comparative imaging and artificial intelligence predictive models to detect cancer earlier and save more lives [1].
The current screening program prevents up to 50 percent of breast cancer deaths among women aged 50 to 74, yet participation remains at only 52 percent, falling significantly short of the 70 percent target [1]. Research using the BRAIx AI tool has revealed that one in ten women with the highest risk scores develop cancer within four years, even after receiving normal results on standard breast cancer screening [1]. Associate Professor Carolyn Nickson stated: "We know we can identify groups of women who may benefit from more intensive screening approaches than standard screening" [1].
The federal government is investing $1.3 million to implement the program, with government modelling projecting the full ten-year implementation cost at approximately $2 billion [1]. The reform will be rolled out in phases over more than a decade, with BreastScreen Australia continuing normal operations throughout the transition period [1]. Australia currently diagnoses more than 20,000 cases of breast cancer annually, with approximately 3,000 women dying from the disease [1].