Thermography better than mammograms for early breast cancer detection?

Thermography is the new early detection method. Check it out. Damian / Originally commented on Cancer prevention and treatment may be the same thing

Answer:

Unfortunately, thermography alone may have a sensitivity of only about 83% in detecting breast cancer (according to the latest review). A combination of mammography and thermography may bring it as high as 95%, though, so while there may be a role for the technology, thermography alone is condemned as a substitute for mammography by the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Mammograms, and all other early detection methods are, by definition of course, too late in that they don’t prevent cancer. And sadly, in many cases, may even be too late to significantly alter the course of the disease. Please see, for example, the latest open access review on the subject, “The Benefits and Harms of Screening for Cancer with a Focus on Breast Screening.” As you’ll note even in just the abstract, regular breast self‐exams do not appear to reduce breast cancer mortality; the effects of physician breast examination are unknown; and it’s not even clear that screening for breast cancer with mammography, thermography, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging does more good than harm on a population level, because of the need to balance the cases in which there is benefit with the number of unnecessary biopsies and surgeries.

I still encourage women to follow the guidelines of the USPSTF, but ideally the focus would be on primary prevention—meaning preventing the emergence of the tumor in the first place, and slowing its growth. Please see my blog post Breast Cancer and Diet for a review of my older videos on the subject and some the videos I’ve done since on the subject of breast cancer prevention and survival:

Image credit: Food and Drug Administration / FDA.gov

Is thermography better than mammograms for early breast cancer detection?

Answer:

Pin It on Pinterest