Australian researchers are developing a potential two-in-one test, allowing women to get their heart checked during a routine breast scan.
The breakthrough comes as cancer patients took to the catwalk, raising funds for the Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation in a celebration of survival and resilience.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Two-in-one scan could detect breast cancer and heart disease
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Ten models with ten very different stories walked the runway, including Elouise Flowers, who was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her second son. Her cancer has since progressed to stage four.
Now raising two young boys, Flowers is urging others to act. “Anything that changes, get it checked, no matter what,” she said.
Fellow model Skye Molyneux discovered lumps during a routine breast check that she couldn’t feel herself. “I never felt them, I never knew, I didn’t have symptoms necessarily,” she said.
It’s a reminder that screening can find breast cancer before symptoms appear, when treatment can be more effective.
But researchers hope the same scan could also flag a woman’s risk of heart disease, which kills one Australian woman every hour.
Professor Clare Arnott from The George Institute for Global Health used artificial intelligence to analyse around 50,000 mammograms, seeking signs of heart problems.
“We could create an algorithm that says you’re either high, medium or low risk of a heart disease event,” Arnott said.
Experts want the testing done during routine breast screening, with women showing higher risk results referred to a GP.
“A woman doesn’t need to have a blood test, she doesn’t need to give any more clinical information, just her age and the routine mammogram,” Arnott said.
Assistant Health Minister Rebecca White says she’ll consider next steps.
“If we can help women detect their risk of cardiovascular disease earlier, we can improve life outcomes and that would be truly amazing,” she said.
