Breast Screening

Changes in the Approach to Breast Screening

Breast disease is a growing concern for Australian women with statistics worsening over the years and incidents of breast cancer moving into the younger age groups. The need for effective, early diagnosis is now creating a change in the screening methodology.

Internationally, the reliance on mammograms has been critized. The Swedish study, (Gotzsch Olsen. The Lancet :2000) has been the major force behind a review concerning the use of mammograms for mass screening. This report found there was little to no advantage in using mammograms for routine screening. Research by Professor Samuel Epstein found that mammograms were ineffective for pre-menopausal women and also had potential dangers. Because the x-ray used in mammograms is potentially carcinogenic, accumulated dosages from annual screening significantly increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

Currently, Health NSW is preparing a brochure outlining the risks of mammograms. This is now required to enable women to make an informed choice in deciding whether or not to have a mammogram.

The criticism regarding mammograms is restricted to the use of this procedure as a first line screening device. Using mammography for pre surgical screening of a defined mass remains the standard procedure.

First line screening is increasingly being provided by Digital Infrared Thermography (DITI). This is a risk free procedure that reveals inflammatory changes in breast tissue from an earlier stage. Tumour cells divide and double between 8-10 years before standard diagnosis.

DITI can pick up these changes years ahead of any other screening method. As a result women can receive nutrigenomic treatment and /or referral which may lead to early surgical intervention. This approach produces a better long term outcome.

Changes in childbirth patterns are also effecting breast screening. With more women delaying motherhood, Dutch researchers have found that post menopausal women are retaining breast density. A mammograms ability to detect cancer in breast tissue is only 59%, compared with 67% in less dense tissue.

Recent research indicates a 98% accuracy can be obtained by combining thermography/mammography/ultrasound in suspicious cases. DITI is, however, the most suitable method of screening the pre menopausal breast tissue. Japanese research (Obeshi Y:Uchida I:2000) goes as far as claiming that Digital Thermography is the screening method of first choice.

Other significant screening methods are Ultrasound and MRI. Both of these are recommended as secondary screening procedures.

Latest News!

Women Have A Safe Alternative to Mammograms to Maintain Annual Screenings

PRESS RELEASE "Women of all ages received good news with the recent revision of the government recommendations for screening mammography. The US Department of Health and Human Services released their findings and recommendations that screening mammography should now be started at age 50 and performed bi-annually. Up until now, screening was recommended on an annual basis at age 40; this new recommendation has created renewed controversy as doctors have concerns about reducing the number of mammograms that would be clinically justified and indicated.. It takes years for most cancers to develop to the stage that they can be detected with mammogram or ultrasound (dense enough for location and biopsy) so Breast Thermography or Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) is ideally placed as an alternative screening tool to identify changes over time in the 'early' development stages, before there is more advanced pathology that can be detected with other tests .." Read the full article »

7 Compelling Reasons to invest in Thermography screening

1. Risk factors of mammograms – more than 6 mammograms in a lifetime can result in cancer (Epstein 1992)

2. Breast cancer is increasing with statistics showing that 1 in 8 women will develop cancer

3. An average breast tumour takes eight years to reach the stage of being seen on a mammogram

4. Thermograms can show cellular changes years ahead of any other screening method making it extremely useful for early detection of cellular change. ( Breast cancer can only be diagnosed by tissue biopsy)

5. Thermography shows a wider area than other methods, including lymph node regions and is very suitable for younger women.

6. Thermography is safe, risk- free, painless, non invasive and takes 15 minutes

7. Mammography uses a low energy form of ionizing radiation which causes greater biologic damage than the high energy X-ray (Barnes 2003)

Recent Papers

An Adjunctive Approach to Breast Health Evaluation.Breast thermography is a diagnostic imaging procedure which measures the thermal signature of the breast. This procedure has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, Bureau of Medical Devices .. View the article (PDF) »

Understanding the role of Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging in breast screening. The benefits of DITI do vary between age and risk groups. View the article (PDF) »

Cell Doubling Rate - This is early detection? Hypothetical chart representing the growth pattern of a typical slow-growing breast tumor. View research article »

Is Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography Justifiable? - For every 1000 women screened, one breast-cancer death is avoided whereas the total number of deaths is increased by six. Peter C. Gtzsche, Ole Olsen, Summary from Lancet 2000; 355:129-34 View research article »

Beyond Mammography - An overview; explore the latest findings on various breast cancer detection methods, including breast thermography. Len Saputo, MD, Beyond Mammography, The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June 2004. View research article»

Danger and Unreliability of Mammography - Mammogram poses a wide range of risks of which women worldwide still remain uninformed. Samuel Epstein, Rosalie Bertell, Ph.D., GNSH and Barbara Seaman, Int'l J. of Health Services, Vol. 31, no 3, 605-625, 2001. View research article»

The Neoplastic Transformation Potential on Mammography X Rays and Atomic Bomb Spectrum Radiation - The paper represents a definitive study of the oncogenicity of mammography X rays compared to high-energy X-ray and high-energy electron sources. The result suggests a need to re-evaluate the risks associated with mammography breast screening. G.J. Heyes and A.J. Mill, Radiation Research 162 December 2004. View research article»

Routine screening mammography: how important is the radiation-risk side of the benefit-risk equation? - The potential radiation hazards associated with routine screening mammography, in terms of breast cancer induction, are discussed in the context of the potential benefits. D.J. Brenner, S.G. Sawant, M.P. Hande, R.C. Miller, C.D. Elliston, Z. Fu, G Randers-Pehrson and S.A. Marino, Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 78, 1065-1067 (2002). View research article»

Efficacy of Computerized Infrared Imaging Analysis to Evaluate Mammographically Suspicious Lesions - Infrared imaging offers a safe, noninvasive procedure that would be valuable as an adjunct to mammography in determining whether a lesion is benign or malignant. Y.R. Parisky, A. Sardi, R. Hamm, K. Hughes, L. Esserman, S. Rust, K.Callahan, AJR:180, January 2003. View research article »

Changes in the Approach to Breast Screening - Breast disease is a growing concern for Australian women with statistics worsening over the years and incidents of breast cancer moving into the younger age groups. The need for effective, early diagnosis is now creating a change in the screening methodology. View article »