Thermography makes a significant contribution to the evaluation of patients suspected of having breast cancer. The obviously abnormal thermogram carries with it a high risk of cancer. This report summarizes the results of patients with questionable or stage Th III thermograms. From approximately 58,000 patients, most of whom had breast complaints, examined between August 1965 and June 1977, the conditions or a group of 1,245 women were diagnosed at initial examination as either normal or benign disease by conventional means, including physical examination, mammography, ultrasonography, and fine needle aspiration or biopsy, when indicated, but nevertheless categorized as stage Th III indicating a questionable thermal anomaly. Within five years, more than a third of the group had histologically confirmed cancers. The more rapidly growing lesions with shorter doubling times usually show progressive thermographic abnormalities consistent with the increased metabolic heat production associated with such cancers. Thermography is useful not only as a predictor of risk factor for cancer but also to assess the more rapidly growing neoplasms.

Thermography makes a significant contribution to the evaluation of patients suspected of having breast cancer. The obviously abnormal thermogram carries with it a high risk of cancer. This report summarizes the results of patients with questionable or stage Th 111 thermograms. From approximately 58,000 patients, most of whom had breast complaints, examined between August 1965 and June 1977, the conditions of a group of 1,245 women were diagnosed at initial examination as either normal or benign disease by conventional means, including physical examination, mammography, ultrasonography, and fine needle aspiration or biopsy, when indicated, but nevertheless categorized as stage Th 111 indicating a questionable thermal anomaly. Within five years, more than a third of the group had histologically confirmed cancers. The more rapidly growing lesions with shorter doubling times usually show progressive thermographic abnormalities consistent with the increased metabolic heat production associated with such cancers. Thermography is useful not only as a predictor of risk factor for cancer but also to assess the more rapidly growing neoplasms.Cancer 45:Sl-56, 1980.U R I N G 12 YEARS of clinical practice utilizing ther-D mography as one of the techniques for breast xamination, we had the opportunity to observe the vomen by repeated studies over a long period of time. 'he patients were usually symptomatic but a small lumber were examined because of cancerphobia or a amily history that placed them in a high risk category. rhere was no mass screening of asymptomatic women IS is currently under investigation in the United States. lmong the patients who initially had questionable hermal anomalies of asymmetry, disordered vascuarity or local hyperthermia, but no physical, mammo-:raphic or echographic evidence of malignancy, there ere some who subsequently were proven to have lreast cancer. Similar observations have been reported by other r~v e s t i g a t o r s~~~~~-'~ who have suggested that among the ;o-called "false-positive" thermograms there are paients with carcinomas that are not yet palpable or {isible on mammography. This report will provide some statistical information in these situations. Patients and MethodsApproximately 58,000 patients were examined in our Department of Breast Diseases between August 1965 and June 1977 (Fig. 1). Of these, 1,563 women between 32 and 53 years ofage (approximately 2.5% of the total) were initially classified as thermographic stage Th 111. In our classification".' thermograms are distributed in five stages from Th I to Th V, according to an increasing probability of cancer. Each stage is identified by thermovascular patterns and areas of hyperthermia, either singly or in combination. Stage 'Th 111 represents equivocal situations in which the thermal signs are suspicious but not conclusive and it was this group that was analyzed.On the first visit the complaints and history are recorded and the patients undergo physical examination. mammography, thermography, and frequently ultrasound e...