Breast Health
Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will I feel anything, is it like a mammogram?
A. The procedure is completely painless and non contact so nothing will touch you and you will not feel anything at all.

Q. Do I need to remove all of my clothes?
A. You will be given a gown to change in to on arrival, we request that you undress down to your briefs allowing areas of pressure such as bra strap marks and waist bands to equalize.

Q. Why do I need to come back in three months for another breast study?
A. The most accurate result we can produce is change over time. Before we can start to evaluate any changes, we need to establish an accurate and stable baseline for you. This baseline represents your unique thermal fingerprint, which will only be altered by developing pathology. A baseline cannot be established with only one study, as we would have no way of knowing if this is your normal pattern or if it is actually changing at the time of the first exam. By comparing two studies three months apart we are able to judge if your breast physiology is stable and suitable to be used as your normal baseline and safe for continued annual screening.

The reason a three-month interval is used relates to the period of time it takes for blood vessels to show change…… a period of time less than three months may miss significant change…….. a period of time much more than three months can miss significant change that may have already taken place.

There is NO substitute for establishing an accurate baseline. A single study cannot do this.

Q. Should I have a thermogram instead of a mammogram?
A. A thermal scan can provide additional information about the body, but it does a different job from mammogram or ultrasound which test structure and anatomy. Thermography is a test of function and physiology and its overriding purpose in specialist breast screening is to monitor breast physiology and track changes over time. A first study is not really designed to identify any suspicious findings (though of course any patient would immediately be referred to her physician for further clinical investigation if worrying signs did emerge). The real purpose is to establish a base line - a thermal fingerprint, if you like, of the breast physiology that is normal for that particular patient. Everyone has a vascular structure and anatomy that's particular to them, so what we are trying to establish in every case is whether this thermal fingerprint is stable, so we re-scan after the first three months to monitor for changes that might give concern. Thereafter women are followed up annually.

Thermography is not the appropriate first-line service for any woman with known breast cancer. Mammography is more accurate for later stage cancer or for anyone with a palpable lump, although the thermal image can help pinpoint where the cancer is most active, and therefore act as a useful guide for more targeted mammography. Thermography only enables us to look at the activity of that lump and see if it's very vascular, indicating angiogenesis or an active blood supply 'feeding' the tumour.

Q. Who reads the Thermogram reports and what do they look for?
Thermologists, the medical doctors trained to "read" thermal scans, will interpret the images just as radiologists read the x-ray pictures radiographers have taken. They are highly trained to look for patterns particular to various breast conditions. These may present as asymmetry, where the colour pattern differs in one breast from the other, though repeat monitoring could also evaluate this as normal for that particular woman. Comparing right side to left, and different areas of the breast, we are looking for temperature differentials and particularly patterns that may be suspicious. But even if they do change over time, these differences could also relate to fibrocystic changes, and thermal 'hotspots' could simply reflect nerve irritation.

Q. Will the Thermologist be able to see lumps?
A. Thermal scanning can't give the information a mammogram provides in terms of size, density and order of the lump. It doesn't provide what pathology can, it's purely a test of physiology. It can't assess whether a lump is attached to the surrounding tissue, if it's rough or smooth, filled with fluid or a denser, more solid mass. So much is involved in a diagnosis of cancer. But when thermography does produce positive findings, it justifies the more invasive tests and it does give mammography something to look for and so aids detection. Thermography's main role is to monitor breast health for change and abnormal activity, detection at the very earliest possible stage is vital.

Q. Can thermography see my bones and organs?
What the thermal image reflects is skin blood flow. We don't see any organs, any depth into the body or any conducted heat from deeper structures or underlying inflammation. Any thermal patterns we do see reflect the body's surface temperature as a neural response to whatever is going on beneath, which could be inflammation, lymph congestion or angiogenesis. Thermography works because the skin, as an organ, is totally under the control of sympathetic nerve function and thermography provides a snapshot of the body's response on the skin surface to any disease or injury. So for example, for young women who are wisely health-conscious or, at the other end of the spectrum, concerned about the effects of lifestyle habits like smoking or drinking, thermography clearly fills a gap in the standard diagnostic screening process.

Q. At what age should I have my first Thermogram?
We recommend including thermograms in your annual medical routine from the age of 20. As a preventative measure. (Perhaps as you may think of a Pap smear test, although they are very different tests)

Establishing a good thermographic history will make it easier to detect changes more effectively if they do arise.

Q. Can I book my own breast thermogram or does my doctor need to do it?
A. As it's non-invasive, patients can self-refer and it's straight forward to arrange your appointment with us.

You come away with a report which then becomes part of your medical record. If your thermography shows cause for concern, then it's helpful (especially if you are a young woman) to have something tangible to show your doctor, who might otherwise dismiss you as one of the worried well.

Meditherm thermography regularly picks up patients where a slight change registers during the three months between initial scan and follow up. Sometimes mammography is negative nonetheless, and it can take up to another year before what we first identify becomes dense enough for mammography to identify. It also takes quite a long time before biopsy can verify the finding because you have to have some physical calcification or cell growth to get a needle into. This is when monitoring becomes especially important.

Q. I hear from some people that you need to "cold stress" the patient. What is "cold stressing"? Do I really need to do it?
A. Cold stressing is a test to measure sympathetic function, It is a useful test for a number of conditions including RSD (CRPS). Protocols used with the Meditherm system for breast screening do not require routine cold stressing but it may be requested by a referring physician or reading thermologist.

Q. How quickly will I get my report back?
A. Reports are normally ready within 48 hours. You may collect your report when it is ready or allow for mailing time. If you need your report within 24 hours you can pay an ‘urgent’ fee.