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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nIf you are a woman who is 40 years of age or older, you probably know the importance of annual breast cancer screenings. Making sure that you have your breast screening at least once a year is vital to lower your risk for breast cancer. Experts say\u00a01 in 8 women<\/a>\u00a0in the United States will have breast cancer in their lifetime.<\/p>\n Because the risk of developing breast cancer is so high, patients should\u00a0understand the risk factors<\/a>\u00a0associated with breast cancer and receive regular screenings. Due to advancements in technology, diagnostic tools and screening methods such as mammography and thermography are available to patients, and each option offers certain benefits and disadvantages. Let’s discuss the differences between mammograms and thermograms so you can make the best decisions for your health.<\/p>\n Mammograms are used to detect abnormalities in the breast tissue, such as:<\/p>\n Request A Screening Mammogram<\/a><\/p>\n Abnormal conditions or diseases in the breasts are found through methods such as traditional mammograms, digital mammograms and 3D mammograms.<\/p>\n If you’ve never gotten a mammogram before, you should learn\u00a0tips for overcoming mammogram fears<\/a>\u00a0before going to your appointment.<\/p>\n Getting a mammogram has several positives and negatives, regardless of which type you choose. A substantial benefit to regularly completing mammograms is its increased ability to rule out cancerous lumps and tumors in the breasts. The x-rays can detect the smallest abnormalities found in breast tissue, making the identification and treatment of malignant tumors more likely to succeed.<\/p>\n The most prominent con to getting a mammogram is the radiation exposure and breast compression, which can often be painful, especially if a patient has dense breasts.<\/p>\n Researchers have found that mammograms have been known to detect false positives and false negatives, meaning they sometimes miss tumors. Mammography, when used on its own,\u00a0has a 15% false-negative rate<\/a>. Mammograms can also lead to overtreating small tumors that could’ve been safely ignored. This overtreating occurs because mammograms can’t distinguish between malignant and benign tumors.<\/p>\n Rather than using x-rays to detect abnormalities in the breast tissue, thermography make such detections using differences in temperature of the breast tissue. This is possible through digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI). Doctors identify abnormalities in the breast tissue by examining temperature differences. They recognize a problem that needs further investigation when the tissue shows up red, meaning that there’s more heat. More heat occurs in malignancies because of the increase in nitrous oxide in the tissue.<\/p>\n One of the main reasons why patients prefer thermography versus mammograms is because the procedure is non-invasive. A mammogram requires breast compression that can sometimes be painful to patients. Whereas with a thermal imaging breast screening, the machine does not touch you at all. Another benefit to having thermograms is that there’s no radiation exposure because digital infrared thermal imaging is used. Patients may also appreciate that they don’t have to schedule their thermograms around their menstrual cycles because their cycle and changes in hormones don’t affect the results, unlike that of a mammogram.<\/p>\n Even though the procedure has some benefits, thermal imaging breast screening comes with some significant downsides. Due to the nature of thermograms and how they gauge the breast tissue’s condition based on heat, the results may be inaccurately perceived. This is because changes in heat can occur due to inflammation, infection or exercise.<\/p>\n It’s also important to note that thermography won’t work for all patients. These tests are not recommended for patients who have lung cancer, breast implants, large breasts, pendulous breasts or morbid obesity. This is because the results won’t be as conclusive. Experts have found that thermography cannot pick up very small cancer tumors in the breast tissue as accurately as mammograms can. Thermal imaging breast screenings are notorious for being more than twice as likely to detect false positives than mammograms.<\/p>\n For these reasons, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that thermography is\u00a0not a viable standalone tool<\/a>\u00a0for breast cancer screenings, and it should not be used in place of a mammogram. There’s no scientific evidence that a thermograph used alone or with another diagnostic method is an effective early detection tool for breast cancer.<\/p>\n We recommend that you speak with your doctor to determine which procedure is most effective for you. The FDA regulates and certifies clinics that provide mammograms and ensures that these facilities meet rigorous standards. In contrast, there are no standards or regulations stipulated by the FDA or any other organization for thermograms. If you choose to get a thermogram, your doctor will likely ask you to get a mammogram as well.<\/p>\n The FDA, doctors and other health care professionals strongly recommend that thermograms should not replace mammograms and only recommend them as an adjunctive tool alongside another screening method. Although mammograms require low-level radiation exposure, the benefits of detecting cancer and other conditions far outweigh the harm from radiation. If you need a breast mammogram done, you can now\u00a0request your screening with a mammogram<\/a>\u00a0with us through our online platform. If you have any questions about mammograms, please\u00a0reach out<\/a>.<\/p>\n Call To Schedule Your Appointment<\/a><\/p>\n Sources:<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mammography vs. thermography: What’s the difference? If you are a woman who is 40 years of age or older, you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/h2>\n
![\"What-is-mammography\"](\"https:\/\/www.healthimages.com\/content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/02-What-is-mammography.jpg\")
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What is mammography?<\/h2>\n
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Pros and cons of mammography<\/h3>\n
What is thermography?<\/h2>\n
Pros and cons of thermography<\/h2>\n
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<\/h2>\nRequest your annual breast exam today<\/h2>\n
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