Image courtesy of MediTherm
Mammography has really been taking significant hits recently. More than half of cancer-free women will be summoned back for further testing after a mammogram shows a false positive result. One in 12 of these patients with a false positive screen will be referred for a breast biopsy. A study comparing Danish and American women found that patients without any evidence of cancer were more likely to experience harm from false-positive findings (i.e. negative biopsies, increased radiation, increased anxiety and fear of results) in the United States.[1] Risk of having at least one false-positive result from screening mammography is 45% in the USA as compared with 10% in Denmark.[2] And when computer-aided detection (CAD) is used, no better results are obtained.[3]
With thermography, you get a chance to see the inflammatory changes long before they actually become a tumor mass. You can begin to treat before you have to remove a lump surgically. And maybe the mass never develops. Patients with an abnormal thermogram, in one study, had an increased risk of breast cancer. Concentration of ferritin was higher in tumors from patients with abnormal thermograms, and cells in those patients were more likely to be dividing.4 More ferritin = more blood = more blood vessels = potential cancer. Highly dividing cells = potential cancer.
All of which is to say that there is no such thing as a perfect test. Nevertheless, thermography is a good screening test. It neither compresses nor irradiates the breast, and does show inflammatory changes at a point where they can potentially be addressed preventatively, rather than waiting until the lump is of a size that it can be seen surgically.
Call 480-240-2600 to schedule your appointment.
[1]Kemp Jacobsen K, O’Meara ES et al. Comparing sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography in the United States and Denmark. Int J Cancer. 2015 Nov 1;137(9):2198-207. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29593.With thermography, you get a chance to see the inflammatory changes long before they actually become a tumor mass. You can begin to treat before you have to remove a lump surgically. And maybe the mass never develops. Patients with an abnormal thermogram, in one study, had an increased risk of breast cancer. Concentration of ferritin was higher in tumors from patients with abnormal thermograms, and cells in those patients were more likely to be dividing.4 More ferritin = more blood = more blood vessels = potential cancer. Highly dividing cells = potential cancer.
All of which is to say that there is no such thing as a perfect test. Nevertheless, thermography is a good screening test. It neither compresses nor irradiates the breast, and does show inflammatory changes at a point where they can potentially be addressed preventatively, rather than waiting until the lump is of a size that it can be seen surgically.
Call 480-240-2600 to schedule your appointment.