Abstract:
Breast cancer is a common malignancy causing high mortality in women especially in developed countries. Due to the contribution of mammographic screening and improvements in therapy, the mortality rate from breast cancer has decreased considerably. An imaging-based early detection of breast cancer improves the treatment outcome. Mammography is generally established not only as diagnostic but also as screening tool, while breast ultrasound plays a major role in the diagnostic setting in distinguishing solid lesions from cysts and in guiding tissue sampling. Several indications are established for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Thermography was not validated as a screening tool and the only study performed long ago for evaluating this technology in the screening setting demonstrated very poor results. The conclusion that thermography might be feasible for screening cannot be derived from studies with small sample size, unclear selection of patients, and in which mammography and thermography were not blindly compared as screening modalities. Thermography can not be used to aspirate, biopsy or localize lesions preoperatively since no method so far was described to accurately transpose the thermographic location of the lesion to the mammogram or ultrasound and to surgical specimen. Thermography cannot be proclaimed as a screening method, without any evidence whatsoever.
Sources: Thermography is not a feasible method for breast cancer screening, NCBI, June 2013 ;37(2):589-93. – full study PDF
Related post: Is thermography a valid tool for breast cancer screening or snake oil? by Jen Gunter, 04 Oct 2013
For DES Daughters, and in the UK
- Are you a probable DES Daughter? See this Chart and establish how much Risk you face!
- Breast Cancer Screening in Women exposed in Utero to DiEthylStilbestrol
- NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme : DES exposed Women and Breast screening in UK
- Prenatal DiEthylStilbestrol Exposure and Risk of Breast Cancer
- Risk of Breast Cancer in Women exposed to DiEthylStilbestrol in Utero, NCBI preliminary Results