From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening

Saja Murtadha Hashim; Hakan Kutucu

doi:10.35377/saucis...1766498

EN

From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening

Abstract

Breast cancer remains a leading global health concern, with early, accurate diagnosis through mammography being critical for effective treatment. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized breast cancer screening, yet the opacity of “black box” models in clinical applications has sparked pressing calls for greater transparency. Explainable AI (XAI) offers essential solutions by making model decisions interpretable, enabling clinicians to trust and adopt advanced algorithms more confidently. This review synthesizes the current landscape of XAI methods applied to mammographic imaging, examining cutting-edge techniques such as Grad-CAM, LIME, SHAP, attention mechanisms, and prototype-based models. We analyze how these approaches provide meaningful visual and textual explanations that bridge the gap between technical innovation and clinical utility. Unique to this survey is its focus on practical case studies, integration pathways, and challenges in real-world implementation, from balancing interpretability and diagnostic accuracy to the urgent need for robust, diverse datasets. As demand grows for ethical, transparent AI in medicine, our review highlights actionable strategies, future directions, and the collaborative role of radiologists, AI specialists, and patients. By connecting technical advances to clinical trust and patient-centered care, this work sets the foundation for safe, transparent breast cancer diagnosis and aims to inspire further progress throughout the field.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Artificial Intelligence (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Authors

Saja Murtadha Hashim ^*
0009-0004-6400-1587
Türkiye

Hakan Kutucu
0000-0001-7144-7246
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

March 30, 2026

Publication Date

March 30, 2026

Submission Date

August 16, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 3, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis...1766498

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA48YA59JB

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Murtadha Hashim, S., & Kutucu, H. (2026). From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences, 9(1), 292-305. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis...1766498

AMA

1.Murtadha Hashim S, Kutucu H. From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening. SAUCIS. 2026;9(1):292-305. doi:10.35377/saucis.1766498

Chicago

Murtadha Hashim, Saja, and Hakan Kutucu. 2026. “From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9 (1): 292-305. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis. 1766498.

EndNote

Murtadha Hashim S, Kutucu H (March 1, 2026) From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9 1 292–305.

IEEE

[1]S. Murtadha Hashim and H. Kutucu, “From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening”, SAUCIS, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 292–305, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.35377/saucis...1766498.

ISNAD

Murtadha Hashim, Saja - Kutucu, Hakan. “From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9/1 (March 1, 2026): 292-305. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis. 1766498.

JAMA

1.Murtadha Hashim S, Kutucu H. From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening. SAUCIS. 2026;9:292–305.

MLA

Murtadha Hashim, Saja, and Hakan Kutucu. “From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences, vol. 9, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 292-05, doi:10.35377/saucis. 1766498.

Vancouver

1.Saja Murtadha Hashim, Hakan Kutucu. From Black Box to Glass Box: A Survey of Explainable AI in Mammographic Screening. SAUCIS. 2026 Mar. 1;9(1):292-305. doi:10.35377/saucis. 1766498