Thermography

Katie1234
Katie1234 Member Posts: 10
edited October 2016 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

Hi, I was looking for an answer to this question. Does thermography detect temperature changes deep within the breast tissue, or does it detect only skin (and maybe a few millimetres below the skin) temperature changes? Some websites say one thing, other websites say the opposite. So who's right??

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited July 2016

    I just know it is entirely unreliable and the FDA forbid it being used as a cancer diagnostic method.

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  • Cowgirl13
    Cowgirl13 Member Posts: 1,936
    edited July 2016

    I wanted info on thermography about 4 years ago so I asked Beesie.

    Here are her comments to me

    "I did a bit of reading up on thermography a couple of years ago when there was discussion on the board about how it's supposedly better than mammos at detecting BC, and safer too. The info that I found at the time somewhat contradicted that - it said that thermography, although around for a long time, is unproven as a breast cancer screening tool. I just dug around to see if there is anything new, and what I'm finding seems to suggest that not much has changed. All the "official" sources do not recommend thermography alone (although some are quite positive on thermography) - if thermography is recommended, it's suggested that it be used together with mammos. Here are a few links to some of what I've found:"

    FDA Safety Communication: Breast Cancer Screening - Thermography is Not an Alternative to Mammography

    Breast Cancer Thermography - Good, Bad or In-between?

    A Comparative Review of Thermography as a Breast Screening Technique

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  • simsoka
    simsoka Member Posts: 42
    edited August 2016

    I recently had a thermogram as a baseline a week or so before surgery. It showed nothing in my breast. In surgery, a 7mm invasive tumor was removed along with 6.5 cm of DCIS. Thermograms aren't reliable. No method is but at least the other methods (mammo, MRI, ultrasound) detected something suspicious, even if they underestimated the size of the DCIS

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  • SingingGrandma
    SingingGrandma Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2016

    I had a thermogram after a mammogram suggested a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. The thermogram didn't find anything. Then the diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound found something and suggested a biopsy. I asked to have my thermogram read again to see if they missed anything and again they said no, I only had fibrocystic breast and no hot spots. I almost didn't get the biopsy but good thing I did. It discovered a 11mm tumor, invasive ductal carcinoma. Now my friend who has been only getting thermograms decided to get a mammogram after what happened to me. Guess what....she needs a biopsy too. Even though the mammogram found two masses, the thermography place took another image and concluded she didn't have cancer and suggested she not get the biopsy. Luckily, because of what happened to me she has decided to get the biopsy. I'm praying its nothing but at least she'll know for sure. I had my cancer removed a week ago, Stage 1, grade 1. I had a one time radiation treatment called IORT at the time of surgery and I am all done with my radiation treatment. Don't ever rely on thermograms!

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  • sarahrae
    sarahrae Member Posts: 86
    edited October 2016

    I will be doing both, Mammos every 6 months along with thermograms. From what I have been reading they are both flawed , but in different ways(they seem to both 'miss' different things)~ which makes the two together seem like the best bet in catching any potential recurrence.

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  • Englishmummy
    Englishmummy Member Posts: 337
    edited October 2016

    Thermogram missed my bilateral breast cancer. I had no hot spots but my right side was an IDC 2cm and the left was 1.1cm. If you must use them, use them like SarahRae says, together mammograms + thermography....although my advice would be to save the bucket loads of money, unless you have a sports injury, then, I am told they work great!

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  • LM070917
    LM070917 Member Posts: 323
    edited October 2016

    I've had two thermography images done, one was a baseline and the other was a 3 month follow up. They are good for measuring inflammation of the body in general, but I wouldn't use it as a way to determine a cancer dx. I was post radiation, so obviously on my left side it showed substantial damage from rads, but it also showed where I had a lumpsectomy on my left side due tocalcifications. It also showed inflamed oesophagus due to acid reflux caused by arimidex which was interesting. I wouldn't use it alone, but with other testing methods. It's fairly expensive, so don't think I would really use it again.

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited October 2016

    SingingGrandma, that is horrifying! As far as I know, thermography is NOT approved for BC detection, so the clinic had no business telling you that you didn't need a biopsy. I hope you reported that somewhere

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  • Beatmon
    Beatmon Member Posts: 1,562
    edited October 2016

    I had one 35 years ago when they were brand new and in the testing phases. I had fibrocystic disease way back then

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited October 2016

    Thermography missed my 1.1 cm IDC.

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