Another Option

Even though they are considered standard procedure for all women over 50 years of age, the use of mammograms are associated with controversy and admitted flaws.  The use of low level radiation for early detection of breast cancer is the rationale for routine mammography exams.  This rationale seems reasonable since, unlike most cancers, the incidence of breast cancer is down almost 30% since 1990.  Nevertheless, breast cancer is still the number one cancer for women.  Given this high risk, what is all the controversy over mammography and what other options are out there for women to choose?

One of the main criticisms of mammograms is related to a Swedish study of 60,000 women where they concluded that 70% of women diagnosed with tumors were found to be false positives and did not have breast cancer after all.  Like false positives, over-diagnosis is another concern.  A body of evidence shows that for every one woman saved from breast cancer, about 10 women will be treated unnecessarily as a result of mammography studies.  False negatives can also occur.  The National Institutes of Health claim that about 10-30% of malignant tumors are missed with the exam in women over 50.  When there is all this controversy and shortcoming with the standard means of detection, what else can women do?

Even though it was first studied in the late 50’s breast thermography has been getting more attention since the 1980’s.  This procedure is based on the fact that new blood vessel formation must occur to sustain the development of any tumor and thermography is the most effective way to detect these vessels.  The technique uses digital infrared imaging to look for increased heat associated with the new blood vessels and increased metabolism of an active tumor.  Some studies show that abnormalities will be detected by thermography as much as 6-12 months earlier than x-ray, mammography, ultrasound and MRI.  This technique uses no radiation and does not involve squeezing the tissue.  It is safe during pregnancy and nursing and is not affected by surgical procedures such as implants, reductions and biopsies.  Another advantage is that mammograms are particularly unreliable in women under 50 because of increased density of the breast tissue.  Thermography has been proven equally effective for women of all ages even as early as 20 years of age.  Whatever the case, when it comes to any cancer, early detection is the key.  Breast thermography seems to give women an edge in this discovery.  However, everything I read on thermography is clear that the proponents of the technique are not looking for thermography to replace the traditional methods of detection, they are calling for it to be included as part of the standard of care.  If you are a woman with a family history or any other risk factor associated with breast cancer, please look into this alternate form of detection.

We are able to offer thermography out of our office through BRAs Mobile Thermography. If you are interested in scheduling, please call BRAs at 502-895-1224. Their next scheduled thermography day in our office is Thursday, June 13th. For more information, check out their website at

http://brasthermography.com/.