How Does Thermography Breast Cancer Screening Work?

In the US, one out of every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, despite public awareness programs. Worldwide, breast cancer is counted as the most common cancer that affects women. Thanks to the advancement in research, improvement in survival rates is seen, though it completely depends on early diagnosis and treatment, which is possible through preventive breast screen procedures.

What is Thermography?

Thermography is a screening tool that helps in monitoring breast health and identify problems at early stages or before things go out of hands. The breast screening procedure is conducted with a high-resolution imaging camera. The heat patterns, developed on the screen, help in determining the risk of developing cancer in the breast or surrounding areas.

How does the procedure work?

Thermography works on DITI: Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging, a digital scanner that converts infrared radiation into colored images. This imaging process obtains a visual map from the heat coming from the skin, or better to say the body’s temperature. The color variation in different parts or regions indicates an increase or decrease in the temperature of the body. Any abnormal variation could be an early sign of a major problem. The reason is tumors emit more heat than the surrounding tissues and appear to be dark in color, mostly red. With the breast thermography, such suspicious abnormalities can be tracked and detected early and can be monitored in the future. To undergo breast cancer screening thermography, it is recommended to visit a certified clinical thermographer.

How to obtain optimal quality images in the Thermography process?

Here are some of the instructions to be followed by patients:

• Restrict smoking or drinking at least two hours prior to the test
• Not to exercise or engage in heavy physical activities before the test. This includes not to receive a chiropractic adjustment, massage, and acupuncture.
• Refrain from using deodorants, antiperspirants, lotions, powders, underarms, and surrounding areas.
• Avoid exposure to the sun for a day before the test.

These instructions will help the thermographer to collect high-quality images through the breast cancer screening thermography procedure and detect the development of any disease such as a tumor.