Breast thermography and mammography are both imaging techniques used in breast cancer detection, but they work on different principles. Thermography is looking at physiological changes in the body, while a mammogram is an anatomical test looking at a lump that is already formed.
Breast Thermography
- Principle
- Breast thermography measures the temperature patterns on the surface of the breasts using infrared imaging. It is based on taking a heat map of the body that looks for cancerous tumors which tend to have increased blood flow and metabolic activity, which can cause a slight increase in temperature compared to surrounding healthy tissue.
- Advantages:
- Non-invasive: No radiation or compression is involved.
- Early detection: Can detect vascular changes associated with breast cancer earlier than other methods.
- Suitable for dense breasts: Can be more effective in detecting abnormalities in dense breast tissue, which may be challenging for mammograms.
- It can show inflammatory breast cancer signs, which can not be picked up on a mammogram.
- Effective screening tool for women with breast implants.
- Repeatable: Can be repeated frequently without any risk.
- Limitations
- Not diagnostic: It can detect changes in breast tissue temperature, but it cannot diagnose breast cancer. It is a screening tool. Further diagnostic tests are needed to confirm any abnormalities detected.
Mammography
- Principle
- Mammography uses X-rays to create images of the breast tissue. It can detect tumors or abnormalities based on the finding of a lump in the breast tissue that may indicate the presence of breast cancer.
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- Advantages
- Diagnostic: Can detect breast cancer, making treatment more effective.
- Guided biopsies: Abnormalities detected on mammograms can often be further evaluated through guided biopsies.
- Limitations
- Radiation exposure: Involves exposure to ionizing radiation, which may pose a risk, especially with repeated screenings.
- Discomfort: Compression of the breast tissue during the procedure can be uncomfortable for some women.
- Less effective in dense breasts: Mammograms may be less sensitive in detecting abnormalities in women with dense breast tissue, or women who have implants.
- It is a screening tool, and further tests are needed to detect if cancer is present.
Adding thermography to mammography can be beneficial because it provides complementary information. Thermography may detect vascular changes associated with cancerous tumors earlier than mammograms, especially in women with dense breast tissue. By combining both techniques, healthcare providers can potentially improve the accuracy of breast cancer detection, reduce false positives, and provide more personalized care. When a thermogram is used as an adjunct screening to a mammogram the results for early detection are significantly higher.