Conscious Choice: Detecting Breast Cancer Early

March 2004 | Health Conscious

Detecting Breast Cancer Early

by Bonnie C. Minsky

Breast cancer is the most common and dreaded cancer of women. Although physical breast examinations and mammography have become gold standards for early breast cancer detection, mortality from this dreaded disease has been relatively unchanged in the last 40 years! Even so, physicians and millions of women have come to rely upon these practices as a life-saving measure.

There is a tarnished side of relying upon mammography as a gold standard for breast cancer detection. For women to make the best decisions regarding their breast health, the following facts should be considered:

* A 1994 study published in the Lancet questioned whether regular exposure to ionizing radiation from the mammography screening may actually cause cancer.

* In a 2000 study reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 40,000 women between the ages of 50 and 59 were followed. It found that annual mammograms did not increase the survival of women with breast cancer.

* Review of seven mammogram studies in the Lancet in 2002 showed so many flaws that no benefit could be presumed. In many cases the mammogram results led to an almost 20 percent increase in unnecessary mastectomies.

* In January 2002, a National Cancer Institute advisory panel concluded that the benefits of mammography are uncertain and that there is a high risk of receiving a false positive result.

* A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that most women age 70 and older show little benefit from mammography.

* The breast compression, which occurs during a mammogram, may cause small tumors to rupture, thereby spreading cancer cells into surrounding tissues. This can potentially lead to more invasive cancers and metastases.

* At least one-third of all mammograms are followed by further procedures including sonogram, biopsy, or a second mammogram. The majority of the time, these further invasions result in findings of nothing more than a benign lump or no lump at all.

* Mammography is difficult to read in women using hormone replacement, nursing or who have fibrocystic breasts.

* Mammography may contribute to a false sense of security. Highly malignant, fast-growing tumors may grow between negative yearly breast exams.

Does this mean that women should do nothing or rely upon breast self-exam only? The answer is, of course, not. Early detection still holds the key to survival, but there is a better method than mammography. A new technology called Digital Infrared Imaging (DII) or Breast Thermography is at the front line of early breast cancer detection. This new technology is based upon the premise that chemical and blood vessel activity in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer are almost always greater than in normal breast tissue. Because cancer has an ever-increasing need for nutrients, cancerous tumors increase circulation to their cells by opening up existing blood vessels and creating new ones, which causes temperature variations. DII uses ultra-sensitive infrared cameras and computers to detect, analyze and produce high-resolution diagnostic images of these changes.

Unlike mammography, DII doesn’t require radiation, compression or contact with breast tissue. Thus, there is no health risk to the patient. DII also detects cancer earlier than mammography. Difference in breast density will not impede accurate breast thermography results.

Breast thermography has been researched for over 30 years, and more than 800 peer-reviewed breast thermography studies exist. Some studies have followed patients for up to 12 years. DII has an average accuracy rate of 90 percent.

According to top breast cancer experts albeit in mainstream medicine, DII should not replace, but should complement mammography. Studies show an increased survival rate of at least 61 percent is possible when breast thermography and mammography are used together. But when doctors become more comfortable using thermography alone, it may become the new gold standard for breast cancer detection. To learn more about thermography or to find a board-certified thermographer in your area, contact the International Academy of Clinical Thermology at www.iact-org.org/links.html.

Disclaimer: This column is for information only and no part of its contents should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation, or endorsement by Ms. Minsky.

Bonnie Minsky is a Licensed and Certified Nutrition Specialist, Public Health Educator and Certified menopause Educator with a private practice in Northbrook, IL. She can be reached at nutritionalconcepts.com.

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