Q&A with Dr Sheran Vasanthakumar

Could a routine mammogram help detect heart disease risk?

What are you currently researching?

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in women, yet many women at risk are not identified until the disease is already advanced. My research is investigating whether a routine breast screening test for cancer, called a mammogram, can also help detect early signs of cardiovascular disease risk.

Mammograms sometimes show small calcium deposits in the arteries of the breast, known as breast arterial calcification (BAC). Research suggests these deposits may be linked to cardiovascular disease, but this information is not currently considered when assessing someone’s heart health.

Using artificial intelligence, we will identify BAC on routine mammograms. Women who have BAC will be invited to take part in a clinical trial. Participants will receive either standard care or a personalised cardiovascular health program that includes heart health assessments, lifestyle support and treatment guidance. We will then measure whether this approach can reduce future cardiovascular disease risk.

What difference will your research make to people’s cardiovascular health in Australia?

Many women are unaware they are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease until symptoms develop or a serious event occurs. This research aims to identify cardiovascular risk earlier using information that is already available from routine mammograms.

If successful, this approach could transform mammography into a dual-purpose screening tool that helps detect both breast cancer and cardiovascular disease risk, without requiring additional tests or radiation exposure.

Earlier identification of risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure could help more women access prevention strategies sooner, reducing the progression of coronary artery disease and lowering the burden of heart disease in the community.

What motivated you to do your research?

As a cardiology fellow, I often see people diagnosed with heart disease only after significant damage has already occurred. This is particularly true for women, whose cardiovascular risk is sometimes under-recognised and therefore undertreated.

At the same time, millions of women undergo routine mammography every year. I was motivated by the opportunity to use information that is already collected by these scans to identify cardiovascular risk earlier and potentially prevent heart disease before it develops.

Are there any achievements or discoveries from the past year you can share with us?

Over the past year, our research has provided new evidence linking BAC seen on routine mammograms with the progression of coronary artery disease.

By looking at the scans of women who underwent both mammography and heart CT imaging, we found that women with BAC had significantly greater progression of coronary plaque over time compared with women without BAC. Importantly, this relationship remained even after accounting for other cardiovascular risk factors.

While this was a relatively small study, it provides important early evidence that information already visible on routine mammograms may help identify women at higher cardiovascular risk and support earlier prevention strategies.

What role has Heart Foundation funding had in your career journey?

Heart Foundation funding is helping advance my research into new approaches for the early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease in women. It supports the progression of the TIM-TAM clinical trial, which is investigating whether breast arterial calcification identified on routine mammography can guide earlier cardiovascular risk assessment and management.

The funding will support participant recruitment, imaging analysis and long-term follow-up, helping us generate the evidence needed to determine whether this approach can improve cardiovascular outcomes.

For me personally, the scholarship provides valuable protected research time and helps establish my career as an independent clinician-scientist focused on preventative cardiology and cardiovascular imaging.

Do you have a message for Heart Foundation supporters?

Thank you for making this research possible through your support of the Heart Foundation. Your generosity is helping us develop new ways to detect heart disease earlier in women using information that is already available from routine mammograms.

Your support not only advances research that could improve the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but also helps early-career clinician-scientists like me continue working towards better heart health for people in Australia.

We are incredibly grateful for your support and for the opportunity to turn innovative research ideas into practical solutions that could improve lives and reduce the impact of heart disease for future generations.