Gaea Powell, CTT
Board Certified Thermography Technician and Founder of Central Coast Thermography
Academy of Medical Infrared Training and International Academy of Clinical Thermography
Medical Breast Thermography for cancer prevention and the earliest detection. It is an FDA approved, painless, 15 minute non invasive test of physiology. Breast abnormalities can be detected 8-10 years before a mammogram can detect a mass, without radiation or compression.
It is an adjunctive risk assessment procedure for purposes of screening for breast cancer and a wide variety of other conditions.
Thermography is a state of the art clinical scan using highly specialized thermal infrared imaging cameras to measure the amount of heat coming from your breasts.
ADVANTAGES OF THERMOGRAPHY - Detects breast tissue abnormalities 8 to 10 years before a mammogram can detect a mass
- FDA approved clinical scan
- Safe, easy, 15 minute and pain free screening
- Provides state-of-the-art thermal imaging technology utilized globally for over 30 years
- No radiation exposure
- No compression of breast tissue
- Effectively and safely screens breasts with implants
- Effective for women of all ages
- Useful for evaluating chest wall after breast surgery
- Effective for all breast sizes (including dense breasts)
- Detects irregular vascular patterns relating to hormone imbalance
- Creates opportunities for early intervention
- Effective in creating risk assessment and risk management
- Detects heat patterns from increased blood flow associated with tumor growth
- According to a report in the American Journal of Radiology, Breast Thermography has: 99% sensitivity, 90% specificity, 90% accuracy
For over 30 years clinical Thermography has been accepted and developed and is used as part of an early detection, prevention and intervention program. It gives women of all ages the opportunity to screen for breast abnormalities at an early stage. This is especially useful to those in a high risk group or with a history of breast cancer in their family.
Breast Thermography has gained national prominence and widespread use due to the publicity received by radiation-based screening technologies in the guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Federal Government. It should not, however, be considered a stand alone screening. Thermography should be regarded as an adjunct included in every woman’s regular breast health regimen. Women of all ages should employ a combination of techniques, including breast self-examination, physical examinations of the breast by a physician, thermography, ultrasound and MRI examinations, when indicated. Studies have shown that the earliest detection generally occurs when several techniques are used in combination.
The Index Medicus, a comprehensive index of medical scientific journal articles, references more than 800 peer-reviewed breast thermography studies, in which over 250,000 women participated. Many of these studies involved very large groups of patients (from 37,000 to over 100,000) and some have followed patients for as much as 12 years. Among other conclusions, these studies found that when thermography has been added to a woman’s regular breast health checkups, a 61% increased survival rate was realized, and when used as part of a multi-modal approach (clinical examination, mammography and thermography) 95% of early stage cancers will be detected. Since 23% of all breast cancers occur in women under the age of 49, regular breast health checkups should be undertaken by women of all ages, even those in their 20’s.
Thermography, with its non-radiation, non-contact basis, has been clearly demonstrated to be a valuable and safe early risk marker of breast pathology. When used under carefully controlled clinical protocols, it is an excellent case management tool for the ongoing monitoring and treatment of breast disease.
Besides Thermography's role in breast cancer and other breast disorders early detection, it provides monitoring of abnormal physiology and the establishment of risk factors for the development or existence of cancer. When used with other resources the best possible evaluation of breast health is made. It is a valuable tool for alerting your doctor to changes that can indicate early stage breast disease. Your doctor can then plan accordingly and lay out a careful program to further diagnose and/or monitor you during and after any treatment.
All patient Breast Thermograms are kept on record to form a baseline profile for all future routine evaluations. Patient Thermogram patterns are like a thermal fingerprint which will change only if pathology develops. Thermography can show significant indicators several months before any of the clinical signs of inflammatory breast disease, skin discoloration, swelling and pain are detected.
Thermography is particularly useful for women under 50 (breast cancer is the number one cause of death in women ages 40 - 52) in ruling out or properly diagnosing cancer and a host of other breast diseases such as fibrocystic syndrome and Paget's disease. Inflammatory breast disease cannot be detected by mammography and is most commonly seen in younger women. Early detection provides the best hope of survival.
By performing Thermography years before conventional mammography, an at risk patient can be safely monitored and this can increase the patient's treatment options and ultimately improve the outcome.
It is in this role that Thermography provides its most practical benefit to the general public and to the medical profession. It is certainly an adjunct to the appropriate usage of mammography and not a competitor. In fact, Thermography has the ability to identify patients at highest risk and increase the effective usage of mammographic imaging procedures.
Why are proactive efforts and prevention opportunities for breast disease important?
In the U.S., breast cancer is diagnosed every 2 minutes, and one woman dies from the disease every 13 minutes. 15% of breast cancer occurs in women under age 40. While early detection saves lives, prevention keeps the disease from interfering with the living of life.
Active Cancer Cells Can Double in Number Every 90 Days
90 days 2 cells
1 year 16 cells
2 years 256 cells
3 years 4,896 cells
4 years 65,536 cells
5 years 1,048,576 cells (still undetectable with mammogram!)
6 years 16,777,216 cells
7 years 268,435,456 cells
8 years 4,294,967,296 cells (doubled 32 times) *
*Most cancers are detected when the diameter is 1cm (about the size if a dime) and contains about 1 billion cells
Thermal Imaging can detect growth patterns in the 2nd year! Why wait until it’s too late?
Source: Buchanan JB,et al. Tumor growth, doubling times, & inability of the radiologist to diagnose certain cancers. Radiol Clin N Am. 1983;21:115-26
Until such time as a cure has been found for cancer, progress must be made in the fields of early detection and risk evaluation coupled with sound clinical decision making. Thermography is an important part of this process.
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Central Coast Thermography / Breast Thermography Centers provides Medical Thermography locations in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Visalia, King City, Central Coast, Central Valley and California areas.
Central Coast Thermography is an IR screening service, it is not a treatment or diagnosing service. Please consult with a qualified healthcare practictioner when seeking medical advice.
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