|
Breast Thermography  
According to the American Cancer Society, women diagnosed with stage-one breast disease have a 100% chance of survival. Yet in the United States, breast cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death among women between the ages of 20 and 59 and is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide.
Why?
Because the most commonly used breast cancer screening methods are best at detecting mature cancers after years of growth and development. Unfortunately, for patients with breast cancers identified in later stages, there are fewer treatment options and the survival rates are much lower.
There Is A Better Way!
Supported by more than 800 peer-reviewed studies encompassing more than 300,000 participants, Infrared Mammography offers you the earliest possible detection of cancer no matter what your age or circumstances, in many cases detecting cancers up to eight years before X-Ray Mammography. An infrared Mammogram is entirely non-contact, meaning no painful compression of your breasts between plates of glass. It is also non-invasive so there are no injections of harmful dyes or contrast mediums into your blood stream and it involves no exposure to radiation. Infrared mammography is ideal if you have:
- dense breasts: the image is clear
- small breasts: the image is complete no matter size breast you have as they are not compressed between plates of glass
- Implants: no risk of rupture because there is no compression, no image obstruction by your implants
- fibrocystic breasts: no painful compression, better reading, fewer false positives
- have undergone lumpectomy or mastectomies: the mage not obscured by scar tissue
- or if you are pregnant or nursing: no painful breast compression and you are not exposed to radiation
How It Works
Infrared mammography works by identifying and measuring metabolic changes in your breast tissue. For cancer cells to grow they need more blood flow than the surrounding tissue. To get the additional blood flow, these cells tell your body to build new blood vessels and to supply the greatest volume of blood from the existing blood vessels. Infrared mammography detects the increased blood flow needed by cancer cells early in their development by measuring the additional heat radiating from the skin.
By contrast, X-Ray Mammograms use cancer causing ionizing radiation to look for a tumor. The tumor, now years into its growth cycle, will be seen on the X-Ray as small clusters of calcium or a mass with a different density than the surrounding tissue.
Infrared Mammography has an average sensitivity (proportion of actual positives that are correctly identified as such) of over 95% and specificity (the proportion of malignant lesions that are correctly identified) of 68%. In contrast, XRay Mammography has an average sensitivity of 64% but a specificity of 11%! This means that with X-Ray Mammography there are many false positives, resulting in unecessary follow-up Ultrasounds, CTs, MRI's and unfortunately, biopsies.
Not All Breast Thermography Is The Same
When considering which Thermography equipment to purchase for my practice, I did extensive research and due diligence. I chose the equipment and protocols that we use at FPHC because I am convinced that it is the best available. I am the only doctor in Broward County offering this equipment and procedure.
The quality of the imaging process begins with the camera. We use a medical grade camera with the highest sensitivity, manufactured by the most respected company in the industry. Our camera is engineered to record 76,800 unique temperature readings with every image, in full digital format. Sensitivity to minute temperature differences is critical and our camera has the ability to distinguish differences of 12/100ths of a degree Fahrenheit in body temperature.
In addition, at FPHC, we perform a 4-step "cold challenge protocol" which means that Images are recorded before and after you are exposed to a cold challenge. The reason that we dip your hands in 52 degree ice water (don’t worry, this is the most uncomfortable part of the process) is that when faced with the cold challenge, the heat in your body retreats to your core, to conserve heat and protect your internal organs. Cancer cells with their abnormal blood vessels retain more heat. Our ultra-sensitive camera then measures these minute differences. Comparison of the before and after images provides the most telling information.
Next, the images are securely transferred over a secure internet connection to our partner, IMS Image Interpretation Laboratory for analysis and reporting. Your image is read by a radiologist at IMS. IMS has 37 years of experience interpreting over 800,000 images using a patented five-step interpretation process that combines four analytic protocols, unique in the industry.
When considering Infrared Mammography, be sure that the cold challenge protocol is followed and that your image is read by a specially trained radiologist. Otherwise, you are just not getting the most out of the information afforded by this state-of the-art technology.
To see Dr. Bauerschmidt & Breast Thermography in the news, click here
|
 |
|
