New Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging Helps Women Make Difficult Breast Cancer Decisions; Clinical Thermography of Colorado Offers Consumers New Options and Earliest Notice of Breast Abnormalities.

Business Wire; 3/5/2003

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2003

"The experience exceeded all of my expectations, was completely

comfortable, and my insurance reimbursed me for the procedure."

--Susie Seel, Denver

Clinical Thermography of Colorado (CTC), a breast-screening center dedicated to helping healthcare professionals and consumers discover and monitor breast health concerns, contributes to saving lives of area women forced to deal with breast cancer. Lauded as a powerful disease and breast cancer screening option, local consumers say that Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging (D.I.T.I.) has afforded them the earliest possible detection of disease--long before traditional tests discover abnormalities.

"The thermogram scan was what I based my decision on to have both of my breasts removed. The mammogram showed nothing. The thermogram not only showed the process of cancer in my left breast," says Jane Strothman of Berthoud, Colo., "it showed increased activity in my right breast as well. Thermography is absolutely valid--it is a powerful tool for dealing with disease. My surgeon and my oncologist both state that the thermogram matched what they found out with the pathology report."

D.I.T.I. is a 15-minute, non-invasive, image-screening procedure that detects the subtle physiologic changes that accompany breast pathology, whether it is cancer, fibrocystic disease, an infection or a vascular disease. In the early stages of breast cancer, for example, a tumor develops additional capillaries to supply blood, a process that can be picked up in its earliest stages by a thermogram. Once the screening is complete, qualified doctors read the images and provide a report, often as quickly as 24 hours later. When D.I.T.I. is used in conjunction with mammography, the likelihood of early detection and treatment options increases dramatically.

"Thermography is the piece of information I was seeking that was missing in my personal breast health care," says J. Emerita Romero-Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colo. "Thermography is a future risk indicator--a tool that can detect the potential for a cancer to form--so there's no need to wait until something actually happens. Combined with a mammogram, thermography is critical to getting the absolute best information possible."

In addition to being FDA-approved and American Medical Association approved, qualified doctors interpret all of CTC's breast-screening results, and CTC provides individualized attention and emotional support to its clients. CTC's staff is comprised of Certified Clinical Thermographers who are also registered nurses and who are qualified to explain clinical reports and guide patients through treatment options. In individual cases, insurance covers the screening.

D.I.T.I is very comfortable--there's no clinician, physician or instrument contact--and there is absolutely no radiation involved. Women at almost any stage of their lives can benefit from the information derived from a thermogram, and thermograms are particularly useful in continuing to monitor a previously diagnosed condition.

After a lumpectomy, Shawn Winchester of Littleton, Colo., relies upon thermography to monitor her breast health. "I depend upon thermography to monitor my breast health and healing process," she says. "With thermography it is possible to monitor abnormal processes that could indicate new tumor growth. I will continue to use thermography to maximize my options should another cancer develop."