This is one of the first questions ladies ask when they hear about Breast Thermography, and there is a simple answer to it: they are two completely different procedures with two different targets. Can one replace the other?  No, each serves a different purpose.

Mammography looks for EXISTING masses or tumors by compressing breast tissue and sending X-rays through it. The tumor has to be large enough (generally several years in development) and the breast tissue shouldn’t be dense (as it is the case in younger ladies).

Thermography looks for the process of a tumor build up. From very early days of abnormal cell multiplication, new blood vessels will be made to nourish them and so the temperatures in that area rises. Thermography camera registers this temperature rise thereby giving a very early warning signal that the area must be monitored and necessary steps(such as dietary changes etc.) taken. The breast surface temperature reading is done with an infrared camera from several feet away without touching the breast and without sending any radiations to it. The target in Thermography procedure is not to detect a large tumor but to detect small abnormalities in the breast tissue so that the person will take preventive measures to not allow a large tumor build up. Does thermography also see large abnormalities in breast (such as a large tumor)? Absolutely yes. When the camera can see the temperature rise due to a few hundred new cells, it clearly shows the existence of millions of new (tumor) cells. Thermography can be used for any gender and age group.

Neither Mammography nor Thermography can tell if the cell increase(tumor) is cancerous! Only a biopsy (removing some of breast tissue and analyzing it) can determine this. The objective in Thermography is not let a tumor development go unnoticed for many years till it is detectable, then going through the biopsy process or in an unlucky case deal with the already spread of a cancerous tumor to other parts of the body, rather giving an early warning to take action and prevent all that complications.