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The Newest Health Screening Method
There is a rising trend in women seeking out thermography as a means to monitor their breast health and keep an eye out for breast cancer. Some doctors believe that thermography may be helpful in monitoring younger women for breast cancer and detecting changes in breast health that warrant further investigation. If you’re familiar with breast health screening procedures, you may be wondering what the difference is between a thermogram and a mammogram. This article should clear things up for you!
Thermography Basics
Thermograms are anatomical images that utilize heat to create a picture, or an active heat map of the body. The generated image shows color variations based on cooler and warmer parts of the body. Warmer areas of the body can correspond to blood flow as well as tissue inflammation. When monitoring for cancer, this becomes useful as elevated heat levels can indicate where cancer cells have taken root and begun to multiply. Cancer, even at its earliest stages, redirects the body’s regular blood flow to supply its growth in a process called angiogenesis. When thermograms are done on a regular basis, these changes in heat patterns may be detected. However, thermograms cannot be used as a stand-alone diagnostic tool for breast cancer. It is best used in conjunction with other recommended screening tools.
So, what if a troubling change IS detected by a thermogram? You will likely be referred to other specialists for more testing, such as a mammogram. Mammograms are a completely different type of imaging tool where electromagnetic rays are sent into the breast tissues to produce a grayscale image. A dense area where cancerous lumps can grow will appear white on the grayscale image. The downside to mammograms is that the dense breast tissue of younger healthy women also tends to appear white, which can make things more difficult for doctors when trying to interpret the images and assess risks. As we know, the chance of developing breast cancer becomes greater as age increases. Currently, most women are recommended to begin getting mammograms around age 40. Before then, annual physical breast exams are the standard means of diagnostic testing, as well as the recommendation for women to perform their own monthly physical breast examination.
Staying On Top of Your Health
What’s the potential benefit of adding thermography to the annual health routine? Thermography is non-invasive, completely safe, easy to perform. Thermographs provide an option for younger women with dense breast tissue to begin keeping track of their breast health. Doctors recommend getting the first thermogram done early on in your 20’s so it can be used to measure against changes that happen later on in life. When it comes to cancer, early detection is key. While thermography cannot take the place of a mammogram, adding thermography into the routine may help provide additional data on your body. Consider it one more tool in the toolbox to help you stay on top of your health!
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