Five Reasons to Choose Infrared Mammography
Arguably the most important benefit of Infrared Mammography lies in its unique ability to detect breast cancers at their earliest stages of development (1), up to ten years before x-ray mammograms and fifteen years before it can be felt (2). Detecting breast cancer at the earliest stage virtually assures your survival from this dread disease by just about any treatment program. The newest treatment options of Targeted Therapies act specifically to halt the growth and spread of breast cancers without the adverse effects of conventional chemotherapy but offered only if the cancer is detected at its earliest stages.
Infrared Mammography provides a very high sensitivity detecting breast cancer for younger women, women with dense and fibro-cystic breasts, with large or small breasts, with breast reductions, breast implants and prior breast biopsies in addition to pregnant or nursing women. X-ray mammography is less sensitive even among its ideal demographic.
For patients already using x-ray mammography, Infrared Mammography can be an invaluable complimentary imaging option as they are radically different means of examination. Combining x-ray and Infrared mammography has demonstrated almost perfect detection sensitivity and substantially reduce "false-positive" results that lead to needless biopsies.
In the world of medical imaging, all patient scanning devices are referred to as either passive or active. Active imaging systems such as xray mammography transmit short bursts or 'pulses' of electromagnetic energy towards a patient's area of interest and record the origin and strength of the resulting reverberation or impedance of the energy released. Passive imaging systems such as Infrared Mammography sense low level electromagnetic radiation given off naturally by the patient. In passive imaging systems no energy or radiation of any sort is generated or directed towards the patient. Because of this key difference, Infrared Mammography is an ideal imaging modality for many populations who are sensitive to xray radiation such as women who are pregnant or nursing.
Infrared mammography is a non-contact technology without the need to compress the breast tissue. The entire process takes about thirty minutes and is as simple as taking a series of pictures. A challenge process that involves the emersion your hands in cool water is necessary and is the extent of the discomfort.
(1). U.S. National Cancer Institute website; www.cancer.gov. "Breast Thermography: The use of thermography, also known as digital infrared imaging, is based on the principle that chemical and blood vessel activity in both precancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal breast tissue. This activity frequently results in an increase in regional surface temperatures of the breast. Thermography uses ultra-sensitive infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to detect, analyze, and produce high-resolution diagnostic images of these temperature variations, which may be among the earliest signs of breast cancer."
(2). "Atlas of breast thermography with specific guidelines for examination and interpretation", M. Gautherie, 1980, PADEMA, Milan, Italy., "Atlas of Mammography: new early signs in breast cancer", P. Gamagami, 1996, Blackwell Science, Cambridge, MA, USA.
(3). "Preventing breast cancer: the story of a major, proven, preventable cause of this disease" J.W. Gofman, 1996, CNR, San Francisco, CA, USA.
For information on where to find a screening center or to find out more information about the benefits of infrared mammography, contact any of our knowledgeable consultants today.