NBoCC position statements
The National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre supports the current BreastScreen statement on use of thermography to detect breast cancer.
BreastScreen Australia Program
Statement on use of thermography to detect breast cancer
The National
Advisory Committee to the BreastScreen Australia Program does not
recommend the use of thermograph for the early detection of breast
cancer.
Breast thermography, also known as thermal breast imaging, is a
technique that produces “heat pictures” of the breast.
The rationale for thermography in breast imaging is that the skin
overlying a malignant breast lesion can be warmer than that of surrounding
areas.
Thermography in one form or another has been in use for approximately
35 years. The two most common approaches to thermography are contact
thermography and telethermography (also called digital thermography).
Studies have shown that a tumour has to be large (several centimetres
in diameter) before it can be detected by thermography (Homer 1985).
Screening mammograms have the ability to detect breast cancer at
a much smaller size, and therefore to reduce deaths from breast
cancer. Less than 50% of breast cancers detected by mammography
screening have an abnormal thermogram (Martin 1983).
There is no current scientific evidence to support the use of thermography
in the early detection of breast cancer and in the reduction of
mortality.
References
Homer MJ 1985 “Breast Imaging: Pitfalls, controversies and
some practical thoughts”
Radiological Clinics of North America 23: 459-471
Martin JE 1983 “Breast imaging techniques, mammograph, ultrasonography,
computed tomography, thermography and transillumination”
Radiological Clinics of North America 21:149-153
More detailed background material for those requiring further information
is available from the Population Screening Section, Department of
Health and Ageing on
(02) 6289 8787.