Medical Breast Thermography…Empowerment for Life

Written by Sandra Marshall | 01 September 2009

Until a few days ago I had never heard of Medical Breast Thermography. From a quick search on the internet I learned that medical thermography has been used since the early 1970s and was approved by the FDA, in 1982, for use in breast cancer detection and risk assessment, as an adjunct to mammography.

For over 20 years, Thermography has been accepted, developed and used as part of an early detection risk marker program for physiological abnormalities that could lead to Breast Cancer and other diseases. It is a safe and effective method of screening women of all ages and breasts of all sizes, including very dense and breasts with implants. The process is painless, non invasive and takes 15 minutes. There is no compression of breast tissue or exposure to radiation. According to a report in the American Journal of Radiology, Breast Thermography has: 99% sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 90% accuracy.

Medical Breast Thermography is a state of the art clinical scan that uses highly specialized thermal imaging cameras to measure the amount of heat coming from the breasts. Because heat patterns from increased blood flow are associated with tumor growth the scan can show changes in breast tissue that accompany the smallest of tumors; as well as differentiate between fibrocystic breast disease, an infection or a vascular disease. Through Thermography a mass can usually be detected 8-10 years before a mammogram and is more reliable than breast self examination or doctor examination.

Especially useful to those in a high risk group or with a history of breast cancer in their family, Medical Breast Thermography gives women and men of all ages the opportunity to screen for breast disease at an early stage. It has shown to be useful for evaluating chest wall after breast surgery. For women under 50, Thermography is particularly useful in ruling out or properly detecting a host of other breast diseases such as fibrocystic syndrome and Paget's disease. Inflammatory breast disease cannot be detected by mammography and is most commonly seen in younger women. Early detection provides the best hope of survival.

When used under carefully controlled clinical protocols this is an excellent case management tool for ongoing monitoring and treatment of breast disease. It can help doctors plan and lay out a careful program to further diagnose and/or monitor patients during and after any treatment.

All patients’ Breast Thermograms are kept on record to form a baseline profile for all future routine evaluations. Patient Thermogram patterns are like a thermal fingerprint which will change only if pathology develops. Thermography can show significant indicators several months before any of the clinical signs of inflammatory breast disease, skin discoloration, swelling and pain are detected.

Thermography in San Luis Obispo County
After 15 years of traveling to Los Angeles or San Francisco to receive her own annual Thermograms, Gaea Powell decided to become a Medical Thermography Technician and open a permanent Medical Thermography facility on the central coast. She is now a Board Qualified Medical Thermography Technician, Graduate of the Academy of Medical Infrared Training and the Founder of Central Coast Thermography.  Services are available at four locations throughout the central coast. Full body and point of interest scans are available.

Gaea’s best friend and mother, Johnnie Jo, died of breast cancer in 1991, at the age of 49. At that time, there had been little medical advancement made regarding the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.