A technology appealingly marketed as "No Touch Breast Scan" has been publicized as a possible alternative to mammograms, but don't get your hopes up too high. According to a study done by Dr. C.M. Guilfoyle, thermography – the medical term for the test --missed half of the tumors in the 180 participants and also came up with many false positives.
Guilfoyle is slated to present the findings Friday at the American Society of Breast Surgeons' annual meeting in Phoenix. HealthDay describes thermography as a "radiation-free screening method" that uses computer software "to measure and compare thermal abnormalities in the breasts and create a breast 'map; to look for signs of developing breast cancer."
HealthDay also quotes Dr. Kimberly Lovett, attending physician at Southern California Permanente and an investigator at the University of California-San Diego Center for Patient Safety as saying: "I would tell women that thermography continues to be studied, and the technology will hopefully improve over time. However, at this time, thermography should absolutely not be used as an alternative to screening mammogram or as an alternative to breast biopsy in the presence of a positive mammogram."
