Thermograms

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jmb5
jmb5 Member Posts: 532
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

I was wondering if any of you have ever had a thermogram, and what your experience was with it. A friend of mine recommended it since my surgeon wants to do a biopsy for scattered microcalcs. Since they are scattered, it seems they probably aren't DCIS again, so instead of having a needle stuck into my formerly good boob, I am thinking something less invasive, like a thermogram, might give me peace of mind. Any info. you could share?

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  • xtine
    xtine Member Posts: 131
    edited October 2011

    I actually have had a thermogram. It was part of a trial last year to improve their effectiveness. It wasn't to diagnose anything - they wanted to look at known cancer as a way to test a new device. The exam was easy and non-painful.

    I can say that at this time that I would not use a thermogram to give you "peace of mind". There just isn't enough evidence at this point the a thermogram can conclusively determine if something is cancer or not. The best it can do is highlight a potentially troublesome spot to look at with some other tool (like a mammogram or biopsy). 

    It would be nice if thermograms became a better tool for screening and diagnosis, which is why I participated in the trial. Maybe someday...

    If you want to avoid a biopsy, perhaps you can ask for an MRI? That would be more sensitive than a mammogram, and so if you get a negative result there you can feel pretty good that you don't have a problem.

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited October 2011

    That's what I wondered about the thermogram... if they didn't see anything suspicious, would I have peace of mind about it then? I just hate to have a biopsy for "scattered calcs" that probably are nothing. I know an MRI would be really expensive, are they very accurate?

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