Breast Thermography & Prediction of Cancer Risk
Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction
In this article, we shall look at breast thermorgraphy and cancer risk prediction. Our focus shall be on discussing what breast thermography is, how it works and its role in predicting the risk of breast cancer.
What is breast thermography?
Breast Thermography
Breast thermography is one of the methods that are used to examine the internal structure of breasts as a means of detecting the possibility of breast cancer developing. Detection of breast cancer is one of the important elements in the overall management of the disease. That is why there are many different procedures that have been developed to help doctors detect the presence of cancerous cells in the breast of a woman pretty fast.
One such method entails the use of mammograms. These are special images that are generated using x-rays to view the internal structure of the breast as a way of testing for breast cancer. Mammograms have proven to be effective in screening procedures for breast cancer so far. Another one is biopsy. This is the most complicated and effective method of detecting breast cancer. Tissues are removed from the breast and subjected to thorough examination in the laboratory for the presence of abnormal cancer cells. It is actually the last step in the detection process.
Lastly, breast thermography is based on the idea that diseased tissues do have a higher rate of biochemical activity and, therefore, emit a higher level of radiation than the other normal tissues. The method uses this logic to generate an internal view of the tissues of the breast.
What is the procedure for thermography?
Naturally, the human body emits a form of radiation known as infrared radiation. There is nothing new in this for nearly all objects emit this form of radiation, what matters is the type of radiation that is emitted in terms of its range. When properly functioning, the emission of radiation from the body is actually uniform. However, when cancer is developing at any part of the body, there is always abnormal activity taking place at the cellular level in the region.
The abnormal activity is seen in several ways. First, the cancer cells seek to get extra supply of blood through the process of angiogenesis. This increases the biochemical reactions taking place in the tissues in which cancer is developing. Second, the cells seek to induce development of their own supply systems within the body. Once again, this causes hyper cellular activity. Third, cancer cells tend to break away from the original lump and spread to other areas where they can invade healthy cells and grow afresh. Known as metastasis, this process increases the biochemical activity at the cellular level.
Using specialized equipment, doctors are able to get images of the breast tissues by stimulating specific reactions to the body. For example, using special procedures, doctors can stimulate the body to cool down suddenly and then observe what parts of the body (the breast tissue in this case) fail to cool down relative to the rest of the body. Such parts are marked for possible presence of cancer cells.
Highly advanced cameras are able to detect such anomalies in the biochemical activity of cells and translate them to highly complicated images that are interpreted by specialists. The results of breast thermography are not enough for a diagnosis of breast cancer to be made on a patient. What usually happens is that breast thermography is used as an initial procedure. The results determine whether or not other additional tests should be carried out. Besides, thermography has been successfully used to monitor the progress of treatment in patients of breast cancer. Therefore, its uses are diverse.
Role of breast thermography in cancer risk prediction
Basically, this procedure has been hailed as an effective way of detecting the possible development of breast cancer in patients quite early. When properly used, breast thermography can play an important role in detecting the risk of breast cancer early thus allowing doctors to tackle the risk using the right measures.
There are several ways in which breast thermography is a useful tool in breast cancer risk prediction. For example, the procedure is usually used in conjunction with other clinical procedures to ensure that cases of breast cancer are detected early enough to allow for successful use of appropriate therapies. Usually, breast thermography is used in conjunction with mammograms and biopsy to detect and make accurate diagnosis in patients before a specific therapy is recommended.
Also, breast thermography plays a role in managing the risk of breast cancer by being used as a tool for ordinary breast checkups. Since the method is completely safe and quite fast, it is used as a means of conducting checks on the conditions of the breasts of patients on a regular basis. Studies have indicated that this approach produces positive results over the long term.
Further, when used for the first time on a patient and the results indicate an abnormal image of the breast tissue, the results of this method have been useful in accurately indicating the possibility of one developing breast cancer in the future. Therefore, when one gets a positive result from this test, it has been the norm to institute the right measures to ensure that if the inevitable occurs, it can be tackled quite easily and fast.
Breast cancer is a common health problem today. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have devoted our resources to helping patients of breast cancer go through treatment quite fast and effectively. We use various alternative treatment methods to reduce the side effects and boost the effectiveness of the treatment method being used. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Feel free to visit us or contact Dr. Dalal Akoury, a renowned cancer specialist for personalized solutions.
Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction
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