Health Medicine Center: What You Need to Know About Breast Thermography

        
Health Medicine Center Services

What You Need to Know About Breast Thermography

Breast Thermography — For The Earliest Cancer Detection

Also see:

Beyond Mammography

Breast Screening Preparation

Breast Thermography 

Breast thermography, or MammoTherms are an FDA-approved technology that provides very useful information that can help you determine whether or not you have breast cancer. Many scientific studies have shown that MammoTherms provide a more accurate and earlier risk assessment for breast cancer than all other screening tests in general clinical practice.

Studies show that when combined with mammograms, MammoTherms are 95% sensitive and 90% accurate
compared to 75-85% accuracy for mammograms, alone.


MammoTherms are not new. Their popularity is rapidly growing because of cutting edge scientific breakthroughs in thermography. They are 100% safe, have no radiation exposure, are done in a private setting, and have no need for breast compression. Studies over five years report that MammoTherms are 95% sensitive and 90% accurate in pre-menopausal women in detecting breast cancer. This is a remarkable achievement, considering that mammography has been shown to be accurate in the range of only 75-85%.

MammoTherms Can Plays a Special Role for Women between 25 and 40
Studies in post-menopausal women show that when MammoTherms and mammograms are combined there is a 95% accuracy in detecting breast cancer. One special application for MammoTherms is in women between the age of 25 and 40, where mammography is not recommended, and where the most devastating and difficult to treat cases of breast cancer develop.

We know that mammography reveals many lesions that are “suspicious” for cancer, but that only one in three to five biopsies turns out to be breast cancer. This means that most breast biopsies are performed unnecessarily due to false positive findings with mammography. This carries a significant psychological and economic burden for women concerned about the particularly high incidence of breast cancer in Northern California who don’t have cancer at all. And, because there is new research suggesting that breast biopsies often actually spread cancer, it would be a major accomplishment to know when a biopsy is really necessary. Today, with MammoTherms we believe this is possible.

MammoTherms measure natural infrared heat emitted by the breast. A challenge to the autonomic nervous system is performed by blowing air at 68 degrees onto the chest for five minutes and collecting more than 100 infrared images. Blood vessels in normal breast tissue respond by constricting. However, because cancerous tissues do not have a nerve supply they cannot regulate blood flow, so they remain warm, making them stand out and appear as “hot” spots within the cooled breast. Very specific patterns of heat emission occur in cancer, fibrocystic tissue, benign adenomas, infections, and pregnancy that can be reliably differentiated by professionals trained to interpret infrared scans.

Women should have their first MammoTherm at age 25 
We recommend that women get their first MammoTherm at age 25 to establish their “thermal signature,” which is unique in each woman. Testing is recommended every year or two until age 40, when we recommend an annual examination as long as testing remains normal. Every patient’s MammoTherm films are electronically stored for comparison with future studies. We also offer comprehensive advice regarding how to lower the risk for developing breast cancer and to maintain optimal health.

A very sensitive grading system makes it possible to predict the risk for cancer and to offer recommendations regarding when to repeat testing or to do additional studies such as a mammogram, ultrasound, MRI, or biopsy.

In the event you have an abnormal breast thermogram, we advise that you make a 15-minute appointment with our medical director, Len Saputo, MD, to review your findings and work out a personalized, detailed diagnostic work up.