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An Alternative to Mammograms
Since my sister recently developed Breast Cancer and gets a Mammogram faithfully every year, I decided to do some research as to what was available for testing Breasts for abnormalities.
First, I learned that with Mammograms the error rate is still high and the amount of harmful radiation used in the procedure does not sound desirable.
In a Swedish study of 60,000 women, 70 percent of the mammographically detected tumors weren't tumors at all. These "false positives" aren't just financial and emotional strains, they may also lead to many unnecessary and invasive biopsies.
At the same time, mammograms also have a high rate of missed tumors, or "false negatives." Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, in his book, The Politics Of Cancer, claims that in women ages 40 to 49, one in four instances of cancer is missed at each mammography
While screening is an important step in fighting breast cancer, many researchers are looking for alternatives to mammography. Burton Goldberg totes the safety and accuracy of new thermography technologies. Able to detect cancers at a minute physical stage of development, thermography does not use x-rays, nor is there any compression of the breast. Also important, new thermography technologies do not lose effectiveness with dense breast tissue, decreasing the chances of false-negative results.
I also learned that Thermography is a way of monitoring breast health over time. Every woman has a unique thermal pattern that should not change over time, like a fingerprint. So they typically take two initial breast studies (usually obtained three months apart) to establish the baseline pattern for each patient to which all future thermograms are compared to monitor stability With continued breast health, the thermograms remain identical to the initial study. Changes may be identified on follow up studies that could represent physiological differences within the breast that warrant further investigation.
We have to make our own choices. I feel it is important to take it upon ourselves to research our options thoroughly so we can make the best educated choices.
First, I learned that with Mammograms the error rate is still high and the amount of harmful radiation used in the procedure does not sound desirable.
In a Swedish study of 60,000 women, 70 percent of the mammographically detected tumors weren't tumors at all. These "false positives" aren't just financial and emotional strains, they may also lead to many unnecessary and invasive biopsies.
At the same time, mammograms also have a high rate of missed tumors, or "false negatives." Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, in his book, The Politics Of Cancer, claims that in women ages 40 to 49, one in four instances of cancer is missed at each mammography
While screening is an important step in fighting breast cancer, many researchers are looking for alternatives to mammography. Burton Goldberg totes the safety and accuracy of new thermography technologies. Able to detect cancers at a minute physical stage of development, thermography does not use x-rays, nor is there any compression of the breast. Also important, new thermography technologies do not lose effectiveness with dense breast tissue, decreasing the chances of false-negative results.
I also learned that Thermography is a way of monitoring breast health over time. Every woman has a unique thermal pattern that should not change over time, like a fingerprint. So they typically take two initial breast studies (usually obtained three months apart) to establish the baseline pattern for each patient to which all future thermograms are compared to monitor stability With continued breast health, the thermograms remain identical to the initial study. Changes may be identified on follow up studies that could represent physiological differences within the breast that warrant further investigation.
We have to make our own choices. I feel it is important to take it upon ourselves to research our options thoroughly so we can make the best educated choices.
