I was thinking about my many years of experience with Breast Thermography and thought about the worst thing about breast thermography and aspects of this science as I began to write down some notes. Before I share with you the worst part of thermography, I will start out with some hard facts.
Breast Thermography was founded in 1956 by Dr. Robert Lawson of Quebec, Canada. His published study of 26 women with breast cancer showed an average difference in breast temperature of 2.2 degrees F. After Lawson’s work many scientists and medical providers began using the technology. Even with the analog systems of the 1960′ and 70’s results were astounding with sensitivity as high as 94% in studies involving 4000 people at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Thermography will pick up the hottest and most active of cancers, leaving the more benign cancers, such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), undetected. No this is not the bad part of Breast Thermography, it is actually the good part. In most cases this allows for more aggressive form of breast cancer to be detected.
The New England Journal of Medicine , November 2012, showed that one third of all breast cancers were “over- treated.” This over-treatment was mostly in the category of DCIS. The use of breast thermography can help to cut down the over treatment of breast cancer. We need more research in this area.
Thermography is radiation-free, and there is no touching or compressing the breast. It can be done in a privacy screening set up that it is relatively affordable.
With so much positivity in this medical technology and the promise it offers in the fight against cancer, it is extremely disheartening that it has not yet become part of mainstream routine evaluation. That my fellow scientists, is the Worst Part of Breast Thermography.
For more information please visit www.btiscan.com
To find a lab location visit: Thermography Lab Centers (PACT Certified)