Cancer cells are typically in the body 10-20 years before the mass gets large enough to be noticed.

Chemical and blood vessel activity in the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than normal breast tissue. Cancer cells need an abundant supply of nutrients to maintain their growth and this can increase the surface temperatures of the breast.

Thermography measures the skin's autonomic response to that inflammation - its "heat signature."

The technology converts infrared radiation emitted from the skin surface into electrical impulses that are visualized in color. The spectrum of colors indicates an increase or decrease in the amount of infrared radiation being emitted from the body surface.

The picture on the far right is one of a woman with breast cancer. The cancerous tissue appears red because of the heat generated by the greater metabolic activity and the increased blood supply of the cancerous tissue.

These are clear cut examples, the extremes of the spectrum. And we know from subsequent clinical verification that the subject on the right does indeed have breast cancer.

As an early screening tool, we use thermography to look for early, tell-tale signs of a possible malignancy. We look for asymmetry in the heat pattern due to temperature differences between the two breasts. Does there seem to be a "hot spot" in one breast that grows larger over time? A series of thermograms over time gives us the ability to observe any asymmetry.

Thermography can spot suspicious tissue 10 years before it can be detected by mammography.

Thermography is especially helpful in detecting Inflammatory Breast Disease (IBC). It is rare, but the most aggressive form of breast cancer and has a faster doubling time than other breast cancers. Doubling time is the time it takes for cancer cells to divide and grow. IBC makes up perhaps 3%- 6% of all breast cancers. IBC usually does not manifest as a tumor; it usually grows in nests or "sheets" in the breast. The cancer cells clog the lymph vessels just below the skin giving the classic symptoms of warmth and color changes to the skin. Mammograms and ultrasounds often miss IBC because there is no mass, no tumor. Because IBC has inflammation and heat, thermography is much better at detection.

The consensus among experts is that early detection holds the key to survival. If mammography's look at structure can detect a cancerous mass, and thermography's look at systems can detect early suspicions of cancer formation, then it stands to reason thermography can act as an early warning system, giving women the fighting chance they need to win this battle. Thermography is a screening tool which can help raise suspicions of breast cancer at an early stage, when there is still chance of complete cure.





Q - How can thermography detect potential cancers so many years earlier than mammography?

A - When a tumor is forming, it develops its own blood supply to feed its accelerated growth, a process known as malignant angiogenesis. Pre-cancerous tissues can start this process well in advance of the cells becoming malignant.

Q – Why are mammography centers closing down?

A – The August 2007 issue of Radiology details why. Radiologists cite low reimbursement from the insurance companies and a large degree of liability. The false negative rates of mammography (not detecting cancers) range from 10% to 40%. Radiologists are the professionals most often named in failure-to-diagnose breast cancer claims.

Q – Can a thermogram diagnose breast cancer?

A – Screening, whether by thermogram, mammogram or any other means, is not diagnosis. Both thermography and mammography demonstrate abnormalities indicating the possibility of the presence of cancer, as well as a host of other breast conditions. These clinical findings require differential diagnosis. Only laboratory confirmation of abnormal cell morphology can make the correct diagnosis of cancer.

Q - You recommend that if the thermogram suggests cancerous tissue may be present, that one follow up with a mammogram. Why?

A - Because thermography is a functional test, mammography is an anatomic test. If the functional test is suspicious, then you want to look at the anatomy. Often times, thermography catches breast cancer sooner than it can be felt by palpation. Mammography can look for a mass that is still too small to be felt. Even mammography considers a "small" tumor to be 2 cm in diameter (1 inch = 2.5 cm), which is a large mass of cells. So if we see something suspicious on a thermogram, the risk of x-rays and compression is a risk worth taking, because we may be able to see a much smaller tumor. Using mammography in this way means exposing yourself to x-rays and compression only when absolutely necessary, rather than routinely year after year.[1]

[1] Marilyn A. Roubidoux, MD, Michael S. Sabel, MD, Janet E. Bailey, MD, Celina G. Kleer, MD, Katherine A. Klein, MD and Mark A. Helvie, MD. Small (<2.0-cm) Breast Cancers: Mammographic and US Findings at US-guided Cryoablation—Initial Experience