ICIM Articles: Medical Thermography

MEDICAL THERMOGRAPHY

Medical Thermography
General Screening Information Pack

History of Thermography

Thermal imaging was first used for observing battlefield troop movements at night. When the technology was declassified in the mid-1950’s, Raymond Lawson, a Canadian surgeon and tumour metabolism researcher, thought perhaps this technology could be used to detect the increase in heat that cancerous breast tumours produce. In 1959, the first medical thermogram to investigate breast cancer was taken, the first systems were produced in Sweden; in 1972 The Department of Health Education and Welfare released a position paper in which they indicated that thermography was beyond the experimental state as a diagnostic procedure for the following: 1) Pathology of the Female Breast 2) Extra Cranial Vessel Disease 3) Peripheral Vascular Disease 4) Musculoskeletal Injury. In 1982, thermography was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an adjunctive screening procedure, meant to supplement mammography and other traditional tests for the disease. Breast Thermography has undergone extensive research since the late 1950’s with more than 800 peer-reviewed studies on Breast Thermography. Thermography, already available in most industrialized countries around the world, is becoming more accessible as increasing numbers of physicians, clinics and patients around the world discover the importance and value of this safe and effective state-of-the-art screening procedure.

What is Medical Thermography?

Thermography is an imaging technique that uses specialized infrared cameras to take a picture of the breast or other soft tissues. Thermography’s infrared camera can detect temperature patterns of heat emission from the skin surface to a depth of six (6) millimeters. Thermography is based upon physiological responses, which occur much earlier than anatomical mass. It is a non-contact, non-invasive procedure; there are no risks or side effects. Thermal patterns are displayed on the skin and detected by the infrared sensor of the camera. Interpreted, as temperature data, the information is transmitted to the computer where all images are stored as pictures.

Why Medical Thermography?

Thermography can detect the increased metabolic heat associated with increased vascularity of the most suspicious growths, and can sense the thermal signal – often years in advance of the mass detected on x-ray. It also provides a visual representation to physiological changes indicative of pain. By detecting thermal asymmetry thermography offers the Practitioner an added dimension to the diagnostic picture, detecting neurological and vascular information not available on x-ray. Thermography can contribute to those who experience chronic pain syndromes yet anatomical studies provide no clinical findings. In addition, thermography can be used to provide information in relationship to a patient’s response to treatment and their subjective feeling of pain. Thermography detects metabolic changes also within the breast tissue itself that suggest the beginnings of a possible tumour. When a cancer is forming, it develops its own blood supply in order to feed its accelerated growth, a process known as malignant angiogenesis. And cells can start this process well in advance of when they turn malignant. When they do, the increased blood supply causes abnormal heat activity in the breast, which a specialized infrared camera can pick up. Studies suggest that thermography can detect this activity ten years before any other exam. Thermography can also indicate a tumour’s aggressiveness, which has more to do with its cellular biology than with its size. Thus, a very small tumour may have the ability to invade the body and lead to death, while a larger one may not. In conclusion, Medical Thermography suggests whether the cancer is highly active and may be spreading.

Indications For Use

• Breast Health
• Musculo-Skeletal Syndromes
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
• Inflammatory Pain
• Neuropathy
• Neurovascular Compression
• Nerve Entrapment
• Myofascial Syndromes
• Sports Injuries
• Feigned Disorders
• Soft Tissue Injuries
• Nerve Injury
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Wound Healing
• Stroke
• Arthritis
• Whiplash
• Disk Injury
• Skin Cancer
• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
• Cardiovascular & Stroke Risk Appraisal

The Future of Thermal Imaging

The integration of thermography as part of all breast-screening programs combined with a structural study would allow for prevention and significantly reduce the mortality from breast cancer. The accumulated empirical evidence suggests that screening women at younger ages than 40 and watching for change over time represents the earliest possible time for treatment intervention and a favorable diagnosis. The application of thermography for pain would help in the evaluation of feigned disorders and malingerers while substantially reducing insurance costs.

Thermograms can detect suspicious breast changes at the cellular level, thus providing an early warning of possible cancer. Breast thermography has the added ability to observe the activity of particular cancer-causing hormones in the breasts. Research suggests that cumulative exposure of the breasts to oestrogen is a major risk factor for breast cancer. When hormone activity in the breast is dominated by oestrogen, a specific type of infrared image is produced. Thermal imaging is an adjunctive exam that can provide a more comprehensive picture to the ongoing monitoring of breast health.

Some interesting FACTS about Medical Thermography

• At present there are over 1,200 thermography devices in the United States for providing this detailed, clinically valuable information.

• 480 B.C. Hippocratic Writings first use of thermobiologic diagnosis, where application of wet mud to the body were applied and areas that dried first were thought to indicate underlying organ pathology.

• 1950’s extensive research on Thermography was conducted during this period. There are over 800 peer-reviewed studies in the prestigious index medicus, on breast and pain thermography in the medical literature. These studies incorporated over 250,000 women have demonstrated the efficacy of this procedure.

• 1961 William and Handley reported in the Lancet that 54 of 57 patients with breast cancer could be determined with a crude hand thermographic instrument (17). The authors reported 1-2 degree centigrade changes in abnormal tissue and also stated that there was excellent discrimination between benign and malignant tissue.

• 1968 Gershon-Cohen reported and published in ‘A Cancer Journal for Physicians’ a 94% sensitivity and a false-positive rate of 6% based on 4,000 cases.

• In prospective studies, Hoffman first reported on thermography in gynaecologic practice. He detected 23 carcinomas in 1,924 patients (a detection rate of 12.5 per 1,000), with an 8.4% false-negative (19.6% sensitivity) and 7.4% false-positive (92.6% specificity) rate.

• Stark and Way screened 4,621 asymptomatic women, 35% of whom were under 35 years of age, and detected 24 cancers (detection rate of 7.6 per 1,000), with a sensitivity and specificity of 98.3% and 93.5% respectively.

• 1974 Dr. Ray Lawson discovered and published that the skin temperature over a cancer in the breast or other tissue was higher than that of normal tissue.

• 1972 The Department of Health, Education and Welfare released a position paper in which in which they indicated that thermography was beyond the experimental state as a diagnostic procedure for the following:

Pathology of the Female Breast
Extra Cranial Vessel Disease
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Musculoskeletal

• 1982 the FDA published it’s classification of thermography as an adjunctive, diagnostic screening procedure for the detection of breast cancer. The published classifications can be found in the Federal Register Volume 147, No. 20 pp 4419, cite: 21CFR884.2980.

• 1987 The Counsel of Scientific Affairs released a position paper to the AMA Board of Trustees, which was submitted to the AMA House of Delegates. This report was considered informational with the following findings:

Thermography is a safe adjunctive physiological procedure which may be useful in the diagnosis of selected neurological and musculoskeletal conditions.
Thermography facilitates the determination of spinal nerve root and distal peripheral nerve dysfunction.
Thermography also contributes to the evaluation of possible autonomic nervous system dysfunction and spinal disorders.
Thermography is useful in contributes to the evaluation of possible autonomic nervous system dysfunction and spinal disorders.
Thermography is useful in documenting peripheral nerve and soft tissue injuries.
Thermography is useful in the diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

• Thermography is a test of physiology and measures 5 to 6 millimetres below the dermal level of the skin.

• 2003 Thermography was the recommended screening protocol for the efficient, rapid recognition of hyperthermic individuals with SARS using clinical digital infrared thermal imaging in public areas published in ‘Informational Report of the council on scientific affairs, by John H. Moxley, III, M.D., Chairman American College of Clinical Thermology.

• Breast Thermography is the earliest known method of breast cancer detection. The procedure can detect cancer, and even more importantly pre-cancerous tissue, from 8-10 years before any other method.

• 2005 first Medical Thermograph introduced in Ireland at the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine where research at this centre will further enrich global studies in Medical Thermography and provide the Irish population with access to advanced technology and screening to help save lives.

Does My Health Insurance cover Medical Thermography?

HSA are offering its members Health Insurance coverage with this screening procedure when their GP refers them for ‘health screening’. In addition to this Members of the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine (ICIM) also receive benefits of 10% discount off all pre-diagnostic screening facilities.

This article is to be used for information and guide line purpose. Any advice and/or suggestions from this article should be supervised by your health professional. ICIM can offer a medical professional at the centre to guide you through your health complaints. Contact ICIM for more information.

ICIM Medics, St. Johns Grove, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Tel: 00353 (0)45 844 819 - www.icim.ie - info@icim.ie

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