Gainesville Thermography, LLC
Early Detection Is the Key
Current breast cancer detection strategy in the
United States still depends on clinical examination and
mammography. Clinical examination has limitations with a
sensitivity rate often below 65%. Mammography is
promoted as the most reliable and cost-effective imaging
modality, but its contribution continues to be
challenged with persistent false-negative rates ranging
up to 30%. By the time mammography picks up a tumor, it
has been there for 6 - 8 years, or more. 85% of
mammography initiated biopsies are negative and not all
areas of the breast are visualized by mammography. In
2004 concerns about mammography accuracy have lead to
the recommendation that “high risk” women undergo yearly MRI scans of the breasts in addition to mammography.
This is a very costly procedure. It is also more
difficult to interpret mammographic images in patients
with dense breast tissue, those on hormonal therapy, and
younger women who have fibrocystic changes and dense
breast tissue.
Spitalier and associates followed 61,000 women using
thermography over a 10 year period of time. The
physicians involved noted “in patients having no
clinical or radiographic suspicion of malignancy, a
persistently abnormal breast thermogram represents the
highest known risk factor for the future development of
breast cancer.”
Active Cancer Cells Double in Number Every 90 Days
With This Hypothetical Model
| 90 day |
2 cells |
|
1 year
|
16 cells |
| 2 years |
256 cells (seen by
Thermography) |
| 3 years |
4,896 cells |
| 4 years |
65,536 cells |
| 5 years |
1,048,576 cells |
| 6 years |
16,777,216 cells |
| 7 years |
268,435,456 cells |
| 8 years |
4,294, 967,296 cells
(doubled 32 times and normally seen by Mammography at this stage) |
Breast thermography is very accurate compared to
other methods of detection and screening and has an
average sensitivity and specificity of 90%. An abnormal
thermogram was found to have a 94% predictive value.
Thermography is not yet in wide-spread use, but it's use
is increasing rapidly. The addition of Breast
Thermography to the frontline of early breast cancer
detection brings a great deal of good news for women.
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