Let’s forget for a moment that mammography is a form of radiation that in and of itself may pose a risk of harm. There’s still the question of whether detecting breast cancer through mammography can really lower mortality rates from the disease or save women from the agony of having their breasts surgically removed.
According to Dr. Susan Love, a breast cancer expert and author, by the time you can feel a cancer or see it on a mammogram, it’s already been there for 8 to 10 years. That’s because in order for it to be detected by physical examination or on a mammogram, the tumor or cancerous growth has to have grown to a significant size. This simple truth flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that “early” detection through regular screening is the best way to treat and cure the disease.
In order for early detection to really work it has to be early enough in the process to prevent the disease from proliferating. In a recent Huffington Post article on the subject, Dr. Christiane Northrup questions why doctors continue to rely on mammograms when there are better technologies available for early detection.
In her opinion, the best test for early detection of breast cancer is something called a Thermogram — a form of thermal (infrared) imaging that can identify precancerous or cancerous cells very early, and produces unambiguous results, minimizing the need for additional testing. The Thermogram works by detecting areas of excessive heat, which are generally present wherever inflammation exists, and typically inflammation is present in precancerous and cancerous cells. In addition, where cancers are forming in the body there is usually increased vascular activity as new blood vessels are forming and old ones are being re-activated to help feed and accelerate the growth of these cells (a process known as neoangiogenesis). The newly formed or activated blood vessels have a distinct appearance, which, as it turns out, thermography can detect.
Thermal imaging is a non-invasive technology that allows doctors to detect changes at the cellular level before the actual formation of a tumor –and it doesn’t hurt the body the way radiation can. This can allow you to make preventive changes to your diet and lifestyle for example, or reduce your exposure to potentially harmful substances and monitor the impact of those changes on your cells before cancer develops.
In addition to thermography, several other promising detection technologies have been approved by the FDA, including ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computer-aided detection and diagnosis. While none of these tools in and of themselves are “ideal,” their wide adoption can greatly increase the odds of preventing breast cancer while minimizing the risks of over-treating and needless cutting. This requires weening ourselves from the spoon-fed idea that mammograms are the best tool for the job.
