BREAST SCREENING INFORMATION

4. About (Digital Infrared) Thermal Imaging

Thermal Imaging has been extensively researched since the late 1950's, with over 800 peer-reviewed studies in which more than 300,000 women participated. It was approved by the FDA in 1982 as an adjunct to mammography.
Thermal Imaging is still declared as "investigational". It has been historically shunned by radiologists, mainstream doctors and insurance companies, whose focus has been only on late stage detection and treatment. Consequently, the most promising tool for the observation of early risk indication of breast disease has been available to only a small segment of the population. Until now.
These are two of the more significant findings that relate to the way we use Thermal Imaging today:

"Infrared findings were related to both increased vascular flow
and increased metabolism"

The empirical evidence that skin surface temperatures were altered by underlying breast disease was investigated as early as 1963. Two McGill University surgeons, Lawson and Chunghtai published an elegant intra-operative study demonstrating that the increase in skin temperature associated with breast cancer was related to vascular convection (angiogenesis). This early experiment added credence to previous research suggesting that infrared findings were related to both increased vascular flow and increased metabolism. (Lawson RN and Chunghtai MS: Breast cancer and body temperatures. Can Med Assoc J 88:68-70, 1963)

"Single most important marker
for the future development of breast disease"

From a patient base of 58,000 women screened with Thermal Imaging, Gros and Associates followed 1,527 patients with initially healthy breasts and abnormal thermograms for 12 years. Of this group, 40% developed malignancies within 5 years. The study concluded "an abnormal thermogram is the single most important marker of high risk for the future development of breast cancer". (Gros, C., Gautherie, M.: Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction. Cancer 45:51-56, 1980)

These two studies demonstrate:
1) breast cancer does produce a vascular flow with increased metabolism
2) detection of the vascular patterns with Thermal Imaging is reliable for early risk predication.

There is no other option available today that can meet these standards

top of page

5. A WORD ABOUT MAMMOGRAMS

Mammograms are still an important diagnostic tool in the battle against breast disease. Thermal Imaging can undoubtedly detect breast problems well in advance of mammography, but it cannot determine the nature of that problem. Thermal Imaging is an "adjunctive" diagnostic tool, meaning it adds to and enhances the efficacy of mammography.

Used in conjunction with mammography, Thermal imaging helps to elevate the detection ratio to 97%. With age being no barrier and considering the early detection capabilities of thermal imaging, it means that women can be screened with this non invasive, non contact, user friendly and highly accurate process indefinately, until a problem is identified and needs further investigation, which, for most women, will be never.

It means that not only will you not have to go through the highly uncomfortable mammography rigmarole, you also will not need to be subjected to harmful radiation until such time as it is absolutely necessary.

Considering that there is a huge, world wide debate, which strangely is rarely aired in New Zealand, that radiation from mammography may do more harm than good and may very well create it's own cancer problems, the less time you need to be exposed to such radiation, the better.

Mammography needs thin breast tissue to be of any use. Hence the need for women to be 50+ in order for a mammogram to be of any use. The move to try to lower the age for breast screening by mammography to 40+ is both dangerous and unnecessary. The chances of obtaining false negative results is greatly increased and the increased incidences of radiation exposure, according to many eminent doctors and medical researchers, can only be detrimental to the health and well being of the patient.

Thermal Imaging can do the job with far more accuracy and safety.

(STATISTICAL ESTIMATES used in this information)

286,000 new cases of breast cancer are expected to occur in 2010. This was determined by taking the American Cancer Society estimates of 267,000 in 2003 with an estimated increase of 1% per year.

EARLY INTERVENTION SAVES MORE LIVES

"DETECTION" IS TOO LATE FOR
EARLY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION

top of page