Is Thermography Different Than a Mammogram or Ultrasound?
Yes. Thermography detects changes or abnormalities in physiology that can show up in the future as a tumor, detectable on a mammogram. Unlike mammography and ultrasound, thermography is a test of physiology, meaning it looks for functional changes in breast tissue which may indicate trouble years before a tumor can be detected by other means. It detects and records the infrared heat radiating from the surface of the breasts. It can help in early detection and monitoring of abnormal physiology and the establishment of risk factors for the future development of cancer. Mammography and ultrasound are tests of anatomy. They look at structure. When a tumor has grown to a size that is large enough and dense enough to block an x-ray beam (mammography) or sound wave (ultrasound), it produces an image that can be detected by a trained radiologist. Most cancers are detected by mammography when the diameter of the tumor has grown to the size of a dime and contains over 4 billion cells.
