What to Expect During Breast Thermography

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. Although much progress had been made in breast cancer detection and treatment, more than 190,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, 40,000 of those cases prove fatal. A breakthrough test that is growing in popularity in breast cancer treatment is a thermal scan of breast tissue using infrared medical imaging cameras.

A breast thermogram or breast thermography may detect breast cancer up to ten years before it can be seen on a conventional mammogram. Unlike mammograms, density of breast tissue does not effect thermographic test results, so it can be an effective diagnostic tool even in younger women with dense breast tissue.

To prepare for a thermographic breast exam you should avoid physical therapy, massage, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, vigorous exercise, and sex for 24 hours before the appointment. These can all have an effect on body temperature. For at least two hours before the appointment you should not consume alcohol, caffeine, iced or hot beverages, spicy food, energy drinks, or smoke or chew gum. Much like a mammogram, you should not use lotion, deodorant, perfume, powder, or shave your armpits the day of the test. You should bathe the night before, or at least two hours before the test, you can use lukewarm water for bathing. Tanning, sunbathing, or a sunburn within five days of the appointment may affect the results.

At the office you will be asked to fill out a health history including all medications and supplements you take. The office will be temperature and humidity controlled and may feel chilly. It is necessary for your body to acclimate to this temperature for the test to be accurate. You will be taken to an examination room and asked to disrobe from the waist up. You will be given a gown. In order for the underside of the breast and armpit area to reach to right temperature you will need to stand with your hands on your head or in some cases there is an overhead bar to hang onto.

After several minutes when your body has fully acclimated to the temperature of the room a technician will take a full set of thermal breast images including, front, side, underneath, and from an angle. You will then be asked to put your hands in ice water or hold onto a cold pack for several minutes. Another full set of images will be taken for comparison and the test is over. The ice water or cold pack causes cause normal blood vessels to contract, while blood vessels feeding abnormal cells like cancer will not contract. Comparison of the two sets of images by a qualified specialist can show any areas where cancer cells may be growing.

Within one to two weeks you will be able to discuss the results with your doctor. If any suspicious areas were found more tests can be ordered. Since breast thermography can find cancers much earlier than mammograms, a thermal imaging diagnosis of breast cancer may allow for less invasive treatment. Women diagnosed early with breast cancer through thermal imaging may face a lumpectomy and reduced chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, rather than more involved mastectomy and extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Breast thermography or breast thermal imaging using medical infrared cameras is an excellent tool for breast cancer detection and treatment. As described above, the test is much less painful than a conventional mammogram yet is more effective at finding any possible tumor cells. The many advantages over thermography over conventional mammograms makes it likely it will become a more common test screening for breast cancer.

Sources:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

http://www.medicalir.com/medical-infrared-imaging-resources/medical-infrared-imaging-general-information/74-the-truth-about-breast-thermography