There are three primary methods of using imagery (pictures) for early detection of breast cancers, abnormalities, and tumors. The most widely known of these is Mammography. Most people have heard of mammograms and are somewhat familiar with them. Just about every woman in theUSover the age of 40 has had her doctor recommend that she have one done. Thermography and ultrasound are somewhat newer in the medical field and are gaining wider acceptance as methods of early detection. Thermography in particular is making significant headway as an effective method of early breast cancer detection. Each of these methods has advantages and drawbacks that must be taken into consideration and no single technique detects everything. Most oncologists and medical professionals agree that a blended approach to early detection works best.

Thermography, also known as Medical Infrared Thermal Imaging (MITI), uses an extremely sensitive infrared camera to take a digital image (thermogram) of the surface temperatures on the breast. The thermogram is then analyzed by a computer and your doctor to look for areas of abnormality. When tumors or cysts develop, your body creates an area of additional blood vessels (angiogenesis) around the growing tumor in addition to higher local metabolism. This increase results in a localized high temperature area that can be seen at the skin’s surface on a thermogram. With the use of thermography, your doctor can detect areas where a cancer containing tumor or cyst may be developing. Because these changes begin to occur when the tumor is about .15 mm (1/500 inch) in size and are quite well established by the time it is less than 2 mm (1/8 inch) in size, thermography can be extremely beneficial in finding cancerous cells or tumors in the early stages of development. Early forms of thermography were difficult to use for detection of cancerous tissue due to inaccurate temperature sensors and difficulty in analyzing the images. However, today’s state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras can detect temperature differences as small as .08 degrees Celsius. Sophisticated computers utilizing artificial intelligence neural nets or complex analysis software are used to examine the digitally captured thermogram and identify areas of concern. The chief drawback to using thermography by itself is that because temperatures are measured on the skin’s surface, it can be difficult to pinpoint the precise location of an abnormality. Tumors or cysts located deep within the breast tissue may be harder to visualize in the very early stages. However, in recent scientific studies, thermography resulted in a positive detection rate of around 90%.

Mammography, or X-ray imagery, uses radiation to take an x-ray image (mammogram) of the breast and detect areas of dense tissue. The mammogram image is visually analyzed by your doctor and a radiologist to look for areas where denser than normal tissue is present, indicating the existence of a tumor, cyst, or cancerous growth. Abnormal tissue growth must be somewhat developed in order to be visible on a mammogram. Because of this, women do not generally begin getting mammograms until around age 40. By this time, any cancerous tissue will have been developing for between 8 to 15 years and reached a size where it can be detected by the x-rays. Even at this size, many cancers will have not reached the invasive stage and can still be treated or removed. Hormone levels in the woman’s body can influence the sensitivity of a mammogram. There are several areas of the breast, especially against the chest wall or in women with smaller breasts that cannot be seen. Detection rates in women over age 50 for mammography averages around 80%. In women under age 50, the positive cancer detection rate of a mammogram drops to 60% or less.

Ultrasound imaging uses high frequency sound waves to create a visual cross-section of the breast. This is the same technology used to take images of infants in the womb. The ultrasound device bounces sound waves off of the tissue in the breast. The way the sound waves are altered when they are received is used by the computer to create a digital image of the area being examined. Ultrasounds are very effective in differentiating between solid masses and fluid filled cysts. Ultrasound can also detect some cancers which are missed my mammography. Ultrasound imagery, like mammography, requires that the abnormality be a certain size in order to be visible. Ultrasounds also typically have a low resolution, an inability to display fine detail and require a very skilled operator to effectively distinguish potential areas of concern. Studies show ultrasounds to have on average about 83 percent sensitivity in early detection of tumors at all ages.

Additionally, Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) can be used to detect or pinpoint the location of potential cancerous tissue. MRI scans are able to create extremely accurate images of the inside of the human body. However, the extremely high cost of the MRI exam and the MRI equipment makes this method impractical in most situations.

Traditional mammography has been the mainstay and preferred method of early cancer detection for many years. However its relatively low rate of accuracy and necessity that a tumor reaches a certain size to be visible are causes for concern. Results have shown that combining regular thermograms and mammograms together can result in an increase in breast cancer detection to around 98%.