Infrared Mammography and Early Detection

The goal of breast cancer screening is early detection.  Most women are surprised to learn that it takes about 8 years for a breast cancer to grow from a single abnormal cell to a mass that is regularly detected by x-ray mammography.  More aggressive cancers grow faster and less aggresive cancers grow slower, but 8 years is about the average. At that point its a tumor approximately 10 millimeters or more in size. 

How do we know this?  The largest study to ever estimate accuracy and size  determined that x-ray mammography finds 91% of cancers 10 millimeters in size, but only detects 26% of cancers 5 millimeters in size.  Breast cancers detected by x-ray mammography are typically about 12-16 millimeters in size and only about a 1-2 years away from being detected by a clinical breast exam, self breast exam or as a woman becomes symptomatic.   

Poor detection below 10 millimeters in size is the biggest limitation of x-ray mammography.  And while x-ray mammography has come a long way in reducing the radiation dose and in going digital, these improvements have not improved the detection rate of breast cancer for most women. 

Infrared Mammography works differently.  It screens for breast cancer by detecting small temperature changes in a woman's breast that are associated with breast cancer.  So instead of directly looking for a mass, infrared mammography looks for temperature changes caused by breast cancer and other breast diseases associated with breast cancer.  For most women, this means screening positive earlier.  Decades of research has concluded that women can  screen positive by infrared mammography up to 7 years earlier than by x-ray mammography.

                                















Infrared mammography gives most women greater peace of mind because of its ability to screen for breast cancer in the earliest stages.  For a woman who are at high risk of having or developing breast cancer, it can provide an early warning to screen regularly, monitor changes in the breast, and to make positive changes in her life.

The results from infrared mammography should be considered by your physician when determining an appropriate x-ray mammography screening schedule.  Women who have been shown to be at low risk by both infrared mammography and x-ray mammography should consult with their physician to determine if they can reduce the number of x-ray mammograms they receive. 

Conversely, women who screen positive by infrared mammography but negative by x-ray mammography should make sure they are screening regularly.  Even with a negative x-ray, an abnormal infrared image is the single most important marker of high risk for developing breast cancer, and is 10x more of a risk factor than having an immediate family member with breast cancer.