I
have often thought about how painful the test for detecting breast cancer is
going to be. I know the pain will be worth it. But sometimes the pain is what
keeps women from being tested, however, what if there was a painless way to
detect breast cancer? Looking at cancer
news, a story from Louisville Kentucky writes about BRAS Thermography it is a screening
with a highly sensitive camera. This camera uses thermography to detect what is
coming off of the body. There is no radiation, no pain or compression. This
screening takes 10 to 15 minutes and the results can be seen right away for the
doctors to interpret the picture. The doctor looks for amount and type of inflammation
and the asymmetry in the breast to detect if there is any growth. Of course
pairing this with annual mammogram will help patients to have early detection.
This
advancement is not recognized by the American Medical Association, but do you
think it should be? Would you want to pair this will mammogram or just trust
the thermograph itself?
Here
is the story if you would like to read it:
Has there been any study to compare the BRAS Thermography to mammograms? I think that would be the best way to decide if AMA should recognize the treatment. Also costs would be a big factor to this as well. I would not want to have to pay for two methods of looking at one thing. Although it seems like a good idea, but health insurance is not cheap. Is this new method going to be cheaper than a mammogram?
ReplyDeleteSince this just started they are giving if for free, and this shows things right away. This is almost like a mammogram but less painful
DeleteI would think this screening technique would supplement mammograms. I used to volunteer at the women's imaging center at St.Luke's Hospital in The Woodlands. There was a neat advancement in mammography described as a 3D mammogram which gave the radiologist a more comprehensive view of the breast tissue. Of course, insurance companies saw this as a nonessential "add-on", so patients usually opted out of it.
ReplyDeleteHaving several family members that have had breast cancer, I think anything that could help get more people tested is a great thing. I think finding better and pain free techniques for detection can help reduce the number serious breast cancer cases.
ReplyDeleteSomething is keeping the AMA from recognizing it, I imagine. Maybe with the right changes/advancements, it can become recognized in the future.
ReplyDeleteSince it is such a new study still, I believe it should remain paired with mammograms. One can never be too safe.
I think it is a great idea! Of course I would like to get rid of mammograms all together because according to my mom, they hurt and make your breast sag :)
ReplyDeleteBut it is quite interesting. It reminds me of Lynne's discussion regarding irradiated foods, how people are not accepting of it because they see irradiate and think radiation. Maybe there is a negative connotation to this scanning process that makes it unappealing to the ignorant public.