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Thermography Is Not a Feasible Method for Breast Cancer Screening
Boris Brkljačić
; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Dubrava University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology,
Damir Miletić
; University of Rijeka, School of Medicine, Rijeka University Hospital Center, Department of Radiology, Rijeka, Croatia;
Francesco Sardanelli
; University of Milano, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Unit of Radiology, Milano
Abstract
Breast cancer is a common malignancy causing high mortality in women especially in developed countries. Due to the contribution of mammographic screening and improvements in therapy, the mortality rate from breast cancer has decreased considerably. An imaging-based early detection of breast cancer improves the treatment outcome.Mammography is generally established not only as diagnostic but also as screening tool, while breast ultrasound plays a major role in the diagnostic setting in distinguishing solid lesions from cysts and in guiding tissue sampling. Several indications are
established for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Thermography was not validated as a screening tool and the only study performed long ago for evaluating this technology in the screening setting demonstrated very poor results. The conclusion that thermography might be feasible for screening cannot be derived from studies with small sample size, unclear selection of patients, and in which mammography and thermography were not blindly compared as screening modalities. Thermography can not be used to aspirate, biopsy or localize lesions preoperatively since no method
so far was described to accurately transpose the thermographic location of the lesion to the mammogram or ultrasound and to surgical specimen. Thermography cannot be proclaimed as a screening method, without any evidence whatsoever.
Keywords
breast cancer screening; thermography; mammography
Hrčak ID:
104670
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2013.
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