Dear AuntMinnieEurope member,
No month does women's imaging quite like October. With Breast Cancer Awareness Month in full swing, European radiology societies are flying the flag for women's imaging, from the annual European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) congress to a European Society of Radiology (ESR) event in Vienna.
At the ESR event, the patient got a lot of screen time. Prof. Minerva Becker walked participants through the breast cancer diagnostic pathway, explaining the possibilities and limitations of different imaging modalities while keeping the patient perspective in focus. A very personal perspective came from Caroline Justich, a breast cancer survivor and founder of the Be accepted initiative, who shared why it's so crucial to support patients beyond the diagnosis.
But then there are also women on the other side of the scanner. Earlier this year, an ESR survey found that gender disparities persist in radiology. Nearly half of female respondents considered their gender a career disadvantage, compared with fewer than one in ten men. Leadership opportunities, research time, and working conditions remain sticking points.
Meanwhile, Dr. Filippo Pesapane of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan addressed the elephant in the room with a question he increasingly hears from residents: Does it still make sense to subspecialize in breast imaging when algorithms are reading mammograms too? In a thought-provoking column, he reviewed recent studies and outlined nine competencies radiologists need precisely because the algorithm is there.
On the research front, AI appears to be holding its own in breast screening, but breast density complicates the picture. A Norwegian study of 200,000 screening examinations found that cancer detection performance declined as density increased, while inconsistencies in automated density measurements raised questions about their use in personalized screening.
At EUSOBI 2026 in Maastricht, the congress covered everything from smarter screening, AI, personalized risk assessment, contrast-enhanced mammography to minimally invasive interventions, sustainability, and young researchers. Even the opening ceremony showed that radiology can reveal more than meets the eye. Technical art historian Paul van Laar demonstrated how x-rays, chemical mapping, and microscopy can uncover centuries-old secrets in paintings, including hidden figures, vanished colors, and real butterfly scales.
We hope you enjoy this edition of the Women's Imaging Insider. As always, reach out with comments, feedback, and story ideas. And read more in our designated Women's Imaging section.
Claudia Tschabuschnig
Associate Editor
AuntMinnieEurope.com
