BREAST THERMOGRAPHY NOT A REPLACEMENT TEST

The Palm Beach Post; 10/8/2003; Carolyn Susman

The Palm Beach Post

10-08-2003

BREAST THERMOGRAPHY NOT A REPLACEMENT TEST
BYLINE: Carolyn Susman
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: ACCENT
COLUMN: On Health
TYPE: COLUMN

Breast thermography?

I'd never heard of it.

But a few weeks ago a woman who provides thermal breast imaging at her acupuncture center called to alert me to it.

I was surprised I wasn't familiar with this painless, noninvasive test that uses heat imaging to provide a "temperature map" of the breast. It gets bonus points for bypassing the breast-squashing routine required for X-rays.

The test is supposed to improve the chances of detecting cancerous tumors, particularly in women ages 30-50 with dense breast tissue.

How?

Abnormal breast tissue and cancerous tumors may produce a temperature pattern that is different from healthy breast tissue, and this temperature pattern can be seen using the computerized thermal imaging system.

No one is claiming - nor should anyone be - that this is a fail-safe procedure. There are conflicting reports about its effectiveness, and ongoing clinical trials at the University of Southern California are comparing it to tissue biopsies for effective cancer diagnosis.

So it isn't being touted as a replacement for the controversial mammogram or self-exam or as an alternative for the doctor's exam. In fact, when it received FDA approval, it was as a companion test that could provide supplemental results that can be passed along to your doctor.

With breast cancer a growing demon - who of us doesn't know a woman who's been through this? - what's the downside?

Well, money could be.

Barbara Thurman, thermographer and acupuncturist in Stuart, charges $150 for a breast scan, a consultation, a report of results and a CD with images of your scan. A scan that needs to be done "urgently" would cost an extra $25. Insurance might or might not pay.

And if you're looking for endorsements from high-profile medical groups, you'll be disappointed.

The American Cancer Society says thermography isn't reliable, "since it can miss some cancers and can give a high false positive rate."

The American Medical Association refuses to recommend it "in view of the lack of sufficient proof of effectiveness."

If that doesn't stop you, you could end up a cheerleader, like Florence Licata. The 52-year-old Vero Beach woman has dense breasts, which can make her mammograms hard to read. She also has a history of breast cancer in her family; her brother died three years ago of the disease.

After undergoing a lumpectomy for a suspicious growth that turned out to be benign, she decided to use thermography. Her insurance didn't cover it, and she did enough research to find out that there were concerns about its effectiveness.

But she is happy with the procedure, which so far has shown her body to be stable and without any changes in thermal imaging.

She has not, however, continued having mammograms, as recommended. She figures that's her choice.

"I feel very comfortable with (thermography), and if it indicated I needed a mammogram (to verify results), I would do it," she said.

No tests are considered foolproof for diagnosis of breast cancer, but if you're at high risk, or just want to add another one to your list, this is one way to go.

On Health is a weekly column on health issues. If you have questions or comments, write Carolyn Susman at The Palm Beach Post, P.O. Box 24700, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33416, call 820-4433 or e-mail carolyn_susman@pbpost.com.