What is breast thermography and is it safe?
An infrared camera and computer system (digital infrared imaging or DII) are used to measure heat from the surface of the breast to produce an image which can be evaluated for abnormalities. DII has the ability to warn women up to 10 years before any other procedure that a cancer may be forming. This can allow for prompt and timely intervention. This modality has been in use since the 1960s and approved by the FDA in 1982 for use as an adjunctive breast cancer screening procedure. The procedure uses no radiation or intravenous injection; therefore, digital infrared imaging poses no health risk. How exactly does breast thermography pick up changes in breast tissue? Cancerous tumors increase circulation to their cells by holding open existing blood vessels, opening dormant vessels, and creating new ones (neoangiogenesis) in their need for nutrients. Regional surface temperatures of the breast increase frequently during this process. DII can detect, analyze, and produce high-resolution im
