Breast Thermography: What You Need to Know
Breast thermography, or thermal imaging, is a noninvasive and painless test that doctors sometimes use to monitor for early breast changes that could indicate breast cancer. It works by detecting increases in temperature. Thermography does not involve radiation. Instead, it uses an ultra-sensitive camera to produce high-resolution, infrared photographs, or heat images, of the breast.
The authors of a 2018 study noted that the sensitivity of infrared imaging technology had improved drastically in recent years. They concluded that it may show promise for the future but that, for now, people should only use it alongside other screening methods. Health authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have issued similar recommendations.
How thermography works
Thermography detects a rise in skin temperature that can occur when cancer cells are multiplying.
Thermography uses digital infrared imaging to detect subtle changes in the breast by revealing areas of heat and cold. In the body, areas of high or fast blood flow will show on a thermograph as being warmer than other areas. When a tumor develops, cancer cells grow, and these cells need additional blood to reproduce. When blood flow increases for this purpose, the skin in that area will become warmer. A tumor will, therefore, appear as a hot spot in thermography images.
According to the American College of Clinical Thermology, thermography can detect changes that may indicate various conditions, such as:
• cancer
• fibrocystic disease
• an infection
• vascular disease
The test cannot confirm that cancer is present. It can only show that there are changes that may need further investigation. However, the FDA do not recommend using thermography without another screening method. They stress that “thermography is not an effective alternative to mammography and should not be used in place of mammography for breast cancer screening or diagnosis.”
What thermographs detect
A thermograph will not detect a lump, but it will show changes in body and skin temperature, which may be a sign of increased metabolic activity or blood flow in one particular area. These changes happen as the cancer cells strive to maintain themselves and grow. If the results show something unusual, this may not necessarily be cancer. The cause could be mastitis, a benign tumor, fibrocystic breast disease, or another issue.
Follow-up tests
If the thermography detects any abnormalities, the person should seek further screening, which may include a mammogram. If a mammogram confirms that a lump is present, the practitioner may recommend an ultrasound or MRI scan and a biopsy. Only a biopsy can confirm whether cancer is present.
Benefits
As a screening option for breast cancer, thermography offers the following benefits:
• It is not painful.
• It is not invasive.
• It does not involve radiation.
For Further Reading:
• Regulation thermography is described in detail at the National Library for Biotechnology Information in the article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7709708/
• EuropePMC Life Sciences Literature describes regulation thermography, also known as European thermography, in the article https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/5040931