Prospective comparative study assessing role of ultrasound versus thermography in breast cancer detection.

BACKGROUND: The limitations of mammography as a screening and diagnostic tool, especially for younger women with dense breasts, makes it necessary to use an adjunctive modality to cover its shortcomings. Ultrasound and thermography both have potential role in this era.

OBJECTIVES: We will compare the accuracy of thermography with ultrasound in breast cancer diagnosis in a clinical setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study consisted of 78 women who underwent ultrasound and thermography on the same day, since evaluations were performed for both breasts in all patients separately, each breast was considered a distinct case. Biopsy was performed in 14 suspicious cases with an outcome of 7 malignant results. All women were followed for one year.

RESULTS: The average age of 78 patients was 41.0 ± 10.4 years. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy for ultrasound in diagnosing malignant breast lesions were 100%, 95.3%, 50.0%, 100%, 95.5% and for thermography 85.7%, 78.5%, 15.8%, 99.1%, and 78.8% respectively.

CONCLUSION: We believe that thermography is a non-invasive, safe, and accepted method by patients; however, despite technical advances in it, its diagnostic abilities are still less than those of sonography, so we suggest that it be used as an adjunct in breast cancer diagnosis in selective situations.