The WISDOM study, a groundbreaking effort to determine the optimal guidelines for breast cancer screening, is seeking all qualifying women across the country who wish to participate in improving breast cancer screening and prevention.

The recent nation-wide expansion of WISDOM offers all women - regardless of where they live, where they receive their health care, or their health insurance type the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research and receive screening recommendations. The study seeks to enroll 100,000 women of all backgrounds to participate in an online study and compares two different approaches to breast cancer screening: annual mammography versus a personalized approach based on risk. The results of the study aim to optimize breast cancer screening protocols and improve treatment for millions of women and future generations of women.

Participation in the WISDOM study demonstrates personal commitment and support of World Cancer Day’s "I Am and I Will" campaign, an empowering movement uniting the world to fight against cancer through awareness and education.

"World Cancer Day’s campaign reminds us of the power of individual action taken now to impact the future," said Dr. Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, M.D., FACP, director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics & Global Health at University of Chicago Medicine. "Breast cancer is a unique disease with many types of treatment pathways. We need to better understand how we can effectively detect and prevent different types of breast cancer across a large and diverse population of women. With the WISDOM study, we are seeking a diverse group of women to take action and to participate in a trial that will influence screening standards and improve treatment for generations to come."

The WISDOM study will follow volunteers over time to determine whether a personalized risk-based approach to breast cancer screening can improve prevention and clinical outcomes for women when compared to the current, one-size-fits-all approach using standard annual mammograms.

Participation in the WISDOM study is free, and open to all women ages 40-74 who HAVE NOT been diagnosed with breast cancer. Participants may opt to be assigned at random to one of the study groups, or choose to be assigned to one of two study groups with different screening protocols:

Annual mammogram screenings – the current gold standard of care.
Personalized screening schedule based on factors including family history, genetics, lifestyle, and breast density.
Patients who are identified as being at high risk will be offered educational support from a genetic counselor, breast health specialist, and guidance for cancer risk reduction and prevention.

Over the course of the study, doctors will compare the two groups and determine if a personalized screening protocol can improve breast health outcomes for all women.

"We are proud to honor World Cancer Day and partner with the WISDOM study to help gather scientific data to make breast cancer screening safer and more effective while empowering women with digital ownership of their own breast health records," said Matthew A. Michela, CEO of Life Image. " We encourage women in the Chicago area and beyond to participate in the study. It costs nothing and participation is simple, women are given the tools they need to support this research online throughout the duration of the study."

Life Image is the world’s largest medical exchange network specializing in diagnostic images. It is supporting the WISDOM study by offering participants Mammosphere, an electronic personal health app that enables women to securely request, store, and share their breast health history (including mammogram images) with the study or healthcare providers.


About The WISDOM Study
WISDOM is a five-year longitudinal study that compares two different approaches to breast cancer screening – annual mammography vs. a personalized, risk-based approach. The goal of the study is to determine whether personalized screening is more effective than annual screening. The personalized screening approach will take multiple risk factors into consideration, including genetic markers, to determine the most effective screening frequency and modality for an individual. Over time, we can learn which risk factors are most important and continue to improve our screening recommendations accordingly.