When it comes to breast cancer, early detection is the closest thing to a cure.

Reducing radiation exposure from a mammogram is always recommended for those most at risk.

The term “preventive breast screening” is a little misleading in that it’s more about detection than stopping breast cancer from happening in the first place. There are means to make cancer less likely, such as maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, limiting alcohol intake, eating nutritious food, and never smoking (or quitting). But genetics, personal health histories (prior cancer diagnoses) and environmental factors beyond the control of the patient can cause cancer nonetheless.

That said, early detection leads to cures while late detection puts the patient in a much more difficult situation. That is why leading health organizations strongly urge women (and some men) to be vigilant in identifying breast cancer in the earliest stages possible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a guide to breast cancer screening from seven different health organizations (American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology, American Academy of Family Physicians, etc.). In this guide, the recommendations are broken down into four categories:

• Women aged 40 to 49 with average risk
  Women aged 50-74 with average risk
  Women aged 75 or older with average risk
  Women with dense breasts

This speaks to the somewhat varying levels of risk to different age groups. It also indicates that those women with dense breasts – which have less fatty tissue and more fibrous and glandular tissue – have a higher rate of cancer, and those cancers are harder to detect. According to BreastCancer.org, “Dense breasts…can be 6 times more likely to develop cancer … [density] can make it harder for mammograms to detect breast cancer…breast cancers (which look white like breast gland tissue) are easier to see on a mammogram when they’re surrounded by fatty tissue (which looks dark).

All organizations recommend mammograms, although there is some debate on how young a woman of average risk should start (before or after age 50?). The downside is that radiation exposure in mammograms can increase breast cancer formation in a small percentage of women. This was identified in a study published in 2009 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which specifically looked at young women (20s and 30s) who have the genetic mutation for breast cancer risk. “Exposing the youngest of these women to even small doses of radiation via screening mammograms might do more harm that good,” says an article about the study published by the University of California San Francisco, a major medical training and research institution.

For older women as well, radiation exposure in mammograms is concerning, particularly because some women get a mammogram once every one or two years. Some instead choose an adjunct method of early detection that does not involve radiation, which is thermography. This non-invasive tool measures slight upticks in temperature that occur when tumors form (keeping in mind that tumors are growing things; as they grow, they require an increased supply of blood which raises the temperature around the tumorous tissue).

A patient who identifies some risk with a thermography test is advised to then proceed with a mammogram and other diagnostics as her physician recommends. In so far as thermography does not increase the patient’s radiation exposure, it might be considered a preventative.

Schedule your safe and natural thermal breast scan or full body scan today and achieve peace of mind ... 

Thermography can detect early signs of the development of disease in the body such as formation of tumors and breast cancer as well as periodontal and heart disease. Thermal imaging scans performed with experience and expertise can allow you to identify and understand potential health issues today rather than years from now when it can be too late to treat.

Contact us today at 805-560-7602 to schedule your appointment and achieve the peace of mind that comes with early health awareness and prevention.

 

Disclaimer: The content on this page and on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek out the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any concerns you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking professional medical advice because of any information you have read on this website.