Be Informed about Cancer Prevention

Clinical Thermography, otherwise known as Digital Infrared Imaging (DII), is based on a careful analysis of skin and tissue temperatures as a reflection of normal or abnormal human physiology. It is a medical diagnostic procedure that allows practitioners to see where there is abnormal chemical and blood vessel activity in body tissue. It is a non-intrusive procedure using the technology of the Infrared Camera and state of the art software.

Each procedure extrapolates the thermal data and forms an image which may be evaluated for signs of possible disease or injury. Extensive research and investigation performed at prestigious medical teaching institutions such as Johns Hopkins University Medical School, have established normal values for the distribution of heat in  each region of the body. Variations from these normal values are measured and correlated with suspected injuries or diseases in the same way a blood or urine laboratory study is interpreted.

Over thirty years of clinical use and more than 8,000 peer-reviewed studies in medical literature have established thermography as a safe and effective means to examine the human body.

Medical research has shown thermography to be helpful in the diagnosis of:

• Breast, Prostate, Skin and Bone Cancer
• Nervous System Disorders
• Metabolic Disorders
• Repetitive Strain Injuries
• Headaches, Neck and Back Problems          
• TMJ Conditions
• Pain Syndromes
• Arthritis
• Vascular Disorders
• Soft Tissue Injuries - - - and many more physical conditions

Although thermography can be used as a diagnostic tool for the above conditions, it may be most noted for its use in monitoring breast health.

According to IACT (International Academy of Clinical Thermology), breast thermography is a diagnostic procedure that images the breasts to aid in early detection of breast cancer. It is based on the principle that chemical and blood vessel activity in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal breast tissue. Since pre-cancerous and cancerous masses are highly metabolic tissues, they need an abundant supply of nutrients to maintain their growth and this can increase the surface temperature of the breast.

State of the art breast thermography uses ultra-sensitive infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to detect, analyze and produce high-resolutiondiagnostic images of these temperature and vascular changes. The procedure is both comfortable and safe and uses no radiation or compression. By carefully examining changes in the temperature and blood vessels of the breast, signs of possible cancer or pre-cancerous cell growth may be detected up to 10 years prior to being discovered using any other procedure. This provides for the earliest possible detection of pre-cancerous and cancerous conditions.

Thermography, however, does not have the ability to pinpoint the location of a tumor for biopsy purposes. Consequently, for a comprehensive analysis, if indicated, an ultrasound and/or mammography are recommended to complement breast thermography.

Current methods used to detect breast cancer depend primarily on the combination of both physical examination and mammography. While this approach has become the mainstay of early breast cancer detection, mortality from this disease has gone relatively unchanged for 40 years. Since the prevention of breast cancer has not become a reality as of yet, efforts must be directed at detecting breast cancer at its earliest stage, when there is the greatest potential for successful treatment. Consequently, the addition of Digital Infrared Imaging or Breast Thermography to the frontline of early breast cancer detection brings a great deal of good news for women.

What Makes Digital Infrared Imaging So Unique?

• Unlike mammography and some other imaging modalities, thermography does not require radiation, compression, contact, or intravenous injection. As such, DII is a very comfortable procedure which poses absolutely NO health risk to the patient.
• While mammography relies primarily on finding the physical tumor, DII is based on detecting new blood vessels and chemical changes associated with a tumor’s genesis and growth. By detecting minute variations in normal blood vessel activity, infrared imaging can frequently suggest a pre-cancerous state of the breast or the presence of an early tumor that is not yet large enough to be detected by physical examination or mammography.
• Difficulties in reading mammograms can occur in women who are on hormone replacement therapy, are nursing, or have fibrocystic, large, dense, or enhanced breasts. These types of breast differences do not interfere with the thermography scans.
• Studies show that an abnormal infrared image is the single most important marker of high risk for developing breast cancer - 10 times more significant than a family history of the disease. Consequently, in the absence of other positive tests, an abnormal infrared image gives a woman an early warning. By maintaining close monitoring of her breast health with serial infrared imaging, breast self-exams, clinical examinations, and other tests, a woman has a much better chance of detecting cancer or pre-cancerous conditions at their earliest stage.

Current research has determined that the key to breast cancer survival rests upon its earliest possible detection.  If discovered in its earliest stages, 95% cure rates are possible.  Our centre is dedicated to providing one of the most essential tests in breast cancer risk assessment and early detection.

Please click here to view and/or print the Thermography brochure!

Please click here for Thermography - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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