Thermogram is no substitute for mammogram, FDA warns

Article

Thermography shouldn?t be used instead of mammography to screen for or diagnose breast cancer, according to a June 2 press release issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency made the announcement in response to claims that thermal imaging can find breast cancer earlier than mammograms.

Thermography shouldn’t be used instead of mammography to screen for or diagnose breast cancer, according to a June 2 press release issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency made the announcement in response to claims that thermal imaging can find breast cancer earlier than mammograms.

“Mammography is still the most effective screening method for detecting breast cancer in its early, most treatable stages,” says Helen Barr, MD, director of the Division of Mammography Quality and Radiation Programs at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “While there is plenty of evidence that mammography is effective in breast cancer detection, there is simply no evidence that thermography can take its place.”

The FDA has cleared thermography, which shows the patterns of heat and blood flow on or near the surface of the body by infrared image, as an adjunct tool but not as a standalone method to screen for or diagnose breast cancer. Several warning letters from the agency have been sent to healthcare providers and a manufacturer who claim that thermography is an alternative to mammography.

Recent Videos
Devon Ramaeker, MD
Elizabeth Gandee, APRN-CNP, highlights gaps in women's menopause knowledge | Image Credit: wexnermedical.osu.edu
Doula highlights how postpartum care is failing new mothers | Image Credit: linkedin.com
Nicky Herrick MD; and Anushree Agarwal, MD, MBBS, highlight their study on cardiac arrhythmias in pregnancy | Image Credit: © Igor Borodin - stock.adobe.com.
Lisa Becht, MD, FACOG, sheds light on fertility awareness | Image Credit: havingbabies.com.
First US national HPV conference highlights advances in cancer prevention | Image Credit: uchealth.com.
Mitchell Creinin, MD, reports estetrol pill eases menstrual symptoms | Image Credit: health.ucdavis.edu
1 expert is featured in this series.
Susanna Mitro, PhD, reveals ethnic disparities in uterine fibroid diagnosis | Image Credit: divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org.
Shayna Mancuso, DO, highlights the real impact of menopause | Image Credit: linkedin.com.
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.