Thermography

What is Thermography?

Thermography is an imaging process that uses advanced infrared camera systems to detect heat patterns in body tissue. The modality may be used for full-body scanning, but is of particular interest for the early detection of signs that breast cancer may be developing.

In the early stages, pre-cancerous cells need a vast supply of nutrients and oxygen to accelerate their growth. This process of forming new blood vessels is called angiogenesis and may occur in tissues many years before the cells themselves become malignant. The abnormal heat pattern is one of the earliest signs of breast cancer and may be detected by thermography many years before the actual tumor is detectable by physical breast examination.

Thermography is a safe, comfortable, non-invasive and painless screening procedure, designed for women of all ages, with no contact to the body itself. Thermography is FDA approved and may assist both as an early warning of pathological processes, as well as a prognostic indicator i.e. to indicate whether or not the condition is responding to treatment.

Breast cancer risk assessments

The Tygerberg Multicare Centre also offers personal breast cancer risk assessments. To find out more about this, please contact us.

For further information on breast thermography in general, please click here to visit an international information resource.

Did you know?

All women are at risk of developing breast cancer
One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their life-time
75% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history of this disease
23% of breast cancers develop in women younger than 45 years of age
An abnormal thermogram is the single-most important marker of a high risk for developing breast cancer, 10 times more significant than a family history of the disease
It takes eight to 10 years for a tumor to grow to the size of a 10c coin. Breast thermography may be the first sign of such a possibility

Please make sure you have the forms listed below on the day of your thermography scan.

Download: Full body intake form Download: Breast intake form
Download: IRT consent form

Advantages
Facts
How to prepare

• Thermography scans may detect signs of developing breast cancer up to 10 years before any other diagnostic imaging modality.

• Thermography can identify women who are at greater risk of developing future breast cancer regardless of their family history or any other factors

• Thermography is non-invasive and unaffected by the density of breast tissue; it can thus be performed on young women from the age of 18 years. Currently there are no other screening modalities for women under the age of 40 years. (Approximately, 23% of all cancers occur in females younger that 48 years of age)

• Thermography can signal a hormonal imbalance in the breasts such as high levels of estrogen which is the greatest single risk factor for developing breast cancer

• Infrared imaging has the ability to image subtle physiological conditions which support tumor development and growth (neoangiogenesis, hypervascularity, and hyperthermia) before it becomes a sizable mass or has a chance to spread to other parts of the body

• An abnormal thermogram is the highest known marker of risk for the presence of or future development of breast cancer

• Thermography provides a screening mechanism for those women who are not good candidates for mammograms; these include women who have breast implants, are pregnant or nursing, or are under 40 years of age with dense breast tissue (15% of cancers occur in this group)

• Thermography provides individualized breast cancer risk assessment
With its high level of accuracy, infrared imaging:
• Is not affected by the patient’s age, breast size, tissue density, implants, pregnancy or nursing routine

• Increases survival rates by 61% when added to a woman’s regular breast health care routine

• In conjunction with clinical examinations and mammography, detects 95% of all early stage cancers

• Can detect signs of a developing cancer up to 10 years in advance and is ~90% sensitive and specific

• Can provide women under 40 years of age with an accurate and objective screening test

• Can asses the risk for developing breast cancer in women over 18 years of age

• Can be performed more frequently than other procedures to monitor high-risk women more closely. This can be done without the health risks associated with other imaging procedures

• Is used frequently to monitor the effectiveness of treatment, potentially reducing the duration and overall costs without the added health risks

• Can monitor cancer survivors for possible recurrence
For 5 days prior to the exam:
• Ensure no direct exposure to the sun of the area to be imaged

Within 24 hours prior to the exam:
• No physical therapy such as ultrasound treatment, acupuncture, chiropractic, physical stimulation, hot or cold pack usage

• Any shaving of the body parts to be imaged should be done the evening before the exam or at least 4 hours prior to the exam

On the day of the exam:
• No exercise 4 hours prior to the exam

• No use of lotions, creams, powders, or make-up to the area being imaged the day of the exam

• For upper body imaging, no use of deodorants or antiperspirants on the day of the exam

• Bathing or showering must be done 2 hours before the exam

• If not contra-indicated by the patient’s doctor, avoid the use of pain medication and vasoactive drugs on the day of the exam. The patient must consult with their doctor before changing the use of any medications

• If breastfeeding, try to nurse/express as far from one hour prior to the exam as possible