 Self-Examination  Clinical Examination  Mammography  Biopsy  Does prevailing ‘Standard of Care’ save lives? ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

“Medical care has not provided an effective early detection for most women” “Breast Cancer mortality has not changed over the last 50 years” CA Cancer J Clin 2007;57:43-66 ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

20% false-negative rates (40% for women under 50) – 10-15% develop cancer within 1 year – False sense of security Up to 83% false-positive rates – Only 17% biopsies positive for cancer Neglected aspects of false- positive findings of mammography in breast cancer screening: analysis of the false- positive cases from the Stockholm Trial. E. Lidbrink, J Elfving, J Frisell, E Jonsson. BMJ 1996;312:273 – Increases anxiety and cost – “Mammography is of little value for younger women” “Mammography as a primary diagnostic procedure has not saved lives" Sjonell et al. Lakartichengen, 1999;96: Gotzsche & Olson Lancet 355: ;2000 ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

Benefit: One woman will avoid death from breast cancer Harm: Approximately 1,000 women will have at least one false-positive. Approximately 500 women will undergo unnecessary biopsy. Harm: Breast cancer will be over-diagnosed in five to fifteen women, who will be treated needlessly with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination. * The assumed benefits of screening mammogram is a reduction of ten percent in the rate of death from breast cancer. Kalagar et al. NEJM 2010;363: Reduction in mortality due to screening mammography alone could be as low as two percent. Welsch NEJM 2010;363: ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 Body heat is a by-product of metabolism  Must be transferred to the environment  Mainly through emission of infrared energy from the skin  The intensity of infrared energy is proportional to skin temperature  Principally affected by small-caliber blood flow  Blood flow is modulated by the nervous system ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 The neo-angiogenic vessels of a malignant tumor are significantly different in structure and behavior from any other blood vessels in the body  Nitric oxide is produced by pre-cancerous as well as cancerous cells and acts as a potent dilator of blood vessels ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

Imaging the breasts at a distance of 2-3 meters from the each side and the front. Immersing hands into a basin of cool water for one minute and repeating the series of images. Involves no radiation exposure or breast compression. Done in a private setting. Least expensive of any diagnostic technique. ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 58,000 patients with breast complaints were examined between  1,245 patients with atypical (TH-3) thermology studies had normal mammograms, ultrasound, physical exams and biopsies  38% of those women had biopsy-proven breast cancer within 5 years  90% of patients with abnormal thermology studies (TH-4 & TH-5) had diagnoses of breast cancer confirmed by biopsy Cancer 1980,56;45-51 ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 The effectiveness of mammography, clinical examination and thermology were compared in the detection of breast cancer  Thermology had the best reliability, but the best results were found when all three were combined Thermology, 1986,1; ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 A 2005 retrospective study on 2,000 women followed for 6-7 years  Studied with clinical examination, thermology and mammography  Thermology demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 78.4% Hoekstra, American Academy of Thermology, Thermology International, 2005 ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 Over 800 peer-reviewed studies on breast thermography exist in the index-medicus literature  In this database, well over 300,000 women have been included as study participants  The numbers of participants in many studies are very large -- 10K, 37K, 60K, 85K.....  Some of these studies have followed patients up to 12 years ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

“The use of thermography, also known as digital infrared imaging, is based upon the principle that chemical and blood vessel activity in both precancerous and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal tissues. This activity frequently results in an increase in regional surface temperature of the breast. Thermography uses ultra-sensitive infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to detect, analyze, and produce high- resolution of these temperature variations, which may be among the earliest signs of breast cancer.” US NCI Official Website ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 Most effective means to identify breast cancer, especially under age 50  For women over 50, an important adjunct to breast exams and mammography – Identifies 98% of breast cancers  For the most proactive approach, breast thermograms should begin at age 25  Changing the ‘Standard of Care’ is like turning a large ship and if you wait for it to change, you might ‘miss the boat’ ©2012 Philip Hoekstra, PhD

 Woodward Ave. Suite 100  Birmingham, MI  Voice   Facebook Therma-Scan Clinic  Philip P Hoekstra, PhD, DABT, Lab Director