We are well-aware of the fact that early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer can reduce the risk of mortality to a great extent. This is possible with regular non-invasive methods of breast cancer screening. Thermography is one such method. This method uses a specialized camera to detect temperature changes and blood flow in the breasts, which may attribute to signs of breast cancer. However, this method can only be used as an add-on to mammography and not an alternative. Thermography works on two main principles:
- As cancer cells grow and multiply rapidly, the blood flow and metabolism in cancer affected areas is much higher.
- As blood flow and metabolism is higher, the temperature in these areas rises.
Role of thermography in detecting breast cancer
Thermography may help in detecting breast cancer through the following ways:
- Monitoring any abnormal processes in the breasts.
- Identifying risk factors which may contribute to breast cancer.
- Detecting vascular changes in the breasts.
What happens during thermography?
You will be required to undress yourself from the waist and above to expose your body to the room temperature so that you get acclimatized to it. Then you will be made to stand 6-8 feet away from the imaging system with your arms raised above the head. Now, a series of images will be taken with front and side views of your breasts. The entire test may take about 15-30 minutes to be completed. These images will then be analyzed by your doctor to detect any abnormalities present.
Benefits of thermography
Thermography may offer the following benefits as an option for breast cancer screening:
- Non-invasive: Thermography is considered as a non-invasive method as it does not involve any exposure to radiations and only takes simple images of your breasts through digital infrared thermal imaging.
- Pain-free: It does not involve compression of the breasts, therefore it is a pain-free procedure.
- It can help in detecting even mild physiological changes of the breast such as infection, vascular changes or other risk factors for breast cancer.
Potential risks of thermography
Although thermography is considered as a safe procedure, there are some potential risks associated. These include:
- Inaccurate results: Thermography has shown a high rate of false-positive and false-negative results, which means that it may detect cancer when it is not present or may not detect it when it is actually present.
- Sensitivity: The rate of sensitivity of thermography varies widely and it is not as effective as mammography in detecting breast cancer.
- Lack of adequate scientific evidence: There is no clear scientific evidence supporting the use of thermography as a standalone method for breast cancer screening.
Although you may get tempted to opt for non-invasive/pain-free screening methods such as thermography, it is important to keep all the above mentioned factors in mind and speak to your healthcare provider about the appropriate screening method for you. After all, you would not want to take the risk of having an improper or misled diagnosis, especially with cancer!
References:
- Thermography. Breastcancer.org
https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/thermography
Accessed on 26 November, 2021. - Breast Thermography. Society of breast imaging.
https://www.sbi-online.org/RESOURCES/PolicyPositionStatements/Breast_Thermography.aspx
Accessed on 26 November, 2021. - Singh D, Singh A. Role of image thermography in early breast cancer detection- Past, present and future. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. (2020);183:105074.
- Breast Cancer Screening: Thermogram No Substitute for Mammogram. U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/breast-cancer-screening-thermogram-no-substitute-mammogram Accessed on 26 November, 2021.
- Breast Thermography. American college of clinical thermology.
https://thermologyonline.org/breast-thermography/
Accessed on 26 November, 2021. - Thermography. Science Direct.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/physics-and-astronomy/thermography
Accessed on 26 November, 2021. - Omranipour R, Kazemian A, Alipour S et al. Comparison of the Accuracy of Thermography and Mammography in the Detection of Breast Cancer. Breast Care. 2016;11(4):260-264.
- Khan A, Arora A. Thermography as an Economical Alternative Modality to Mammography for Early Detection of Breast Cancer. J Healthc Eng. 2021;2021:1-8.
- Thermography vs. Mammography: What Are the Differences and Is One Better Than the Other? Cleveland Clinic.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/thermography-vs-mammography-what-are-the-differences-and-is-one-better-than-the-other/
Accessed on 26 November, 2021. - Mambou S, Maresova P, Krejcar O, Selamat A, Kuca K. Breast Cancer Detection Using Infrared Thermal Imaging and a Deep Learning Model. Sensors. 2018;18(9):2799.
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