Thermography, an ideal screening tool for breast cancer
August 30, 2015
While the Society continues to recommend mammograms, there is debate as to their effectiveness in the diagnosis of breast cancer. They issued a statement saying: "mammography can miss cancers that need treatment, and in some cases, finds disease that does not need treatment."
More recently, on November 16, 2009 the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations for the General Public was released, changing a long standing position regarding mammography. Their new recommendations include:
Begin screening at age 50 (formerly 40)Screen every other year (formerly annually)No screening after age 75Physicians should stop teaching self examBenefit of physician-based physical exams was questionedInterestingly, the USPSTF's evaluation stated that, "Rather than benefit from screening, women without cancer may incur harm when undergoing mammography, additional imaging, and biopsies."
Then why not Thermography? Studies have shown that Thermography has a higher degree of success in identifying breast cancer in women under the age of 55 and has been shown to be extremely effective when combined with clinical breast exams and anatomic testing for women over 55. Moreover it provides a completely safe and non-invasive baseline against which future scans can be compared for the ongoing monitoring of breast health.
According to a report in Time Magazine on April 28, 2003 the American Cancer Society is quoted: "Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 44." Therefore screening should begin on women in their early twenties, since most lethal breast cancers can take approximately 15 years from onset to time of death. Because of its safety factor and sensitivity, this makes Thermography the IDEAL screening tool.
SOURCE Thermographic Diagnostic Imaging