Cancers 2025, 17, 2195 Why Do Radiologists Disown Breast Thermography?
A Critical Review of Recent Studies and Recommendations Study done by:Department of Artificial Intelligence, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
jperezmartin@dia.uned.es (J.P.-M.); fjdiez@dia.uned.es (F.J.D.)
* Correspondence: agoni@dia.uned.es CONCLUSION:Breast thermography is innocuous, painless, inexpensive, and portable. Images can be acquired by briefly trained personnel and, when they are analyzed with artificial intelligence, results are immediately available. For these reasons, it can be useful for early cancer detection, particularly among young women, women with dense breasts, and those in low- and middle-income countries. It may also help avoid biopsying benign tumors that appear suspicious under other imaging techniques. In this paper we have reviewed the origins of breast thermography and the studies that gave this technique a bad reputation. We listed commercial products that were taken off the market despite FDA approval, but we also mentioned a successful system that is now available in 22 countries. Next, we summarized recent studies, some of them with large sample sizes, that yielded high sensitivity and specificity values—in some cases, values similar to or better than those of mammography—especially since the combination of modern infrared cameras with AI algorithms. We analyzed the position statements of medical societies opposing breast thermography and found that they are based on outdated evidence. Surprisingly, they all cite the BCDDP study, conducted over 50 years ago with low-resolution analog cameras and visual thermogram analysis, without computer support. Sometimes, they also rely on biased assessments of more recent studies. Unfortunately, these recommendations, issued by prestigious scientific societies, could hinder research and progress in breast thermography. Our analysis suggests that radiologists should be aware of the advances in breast thermography and medical societies should update their position statements in the light of new evidence. They should change their advice against this technique into the recommendation to conduct large-scale, prospective trials, following good practice guidelines, such as those proposed in Section A Proposal for the Standardization of Breast Thermography Studies. Similar to the BI-RADS system established by the American College of Radiology for mammography, ultrasound, and MRI, a standard terminology for reporting thermograms should also be developed. Finally, cost-effectiveness analyses should be conducted. More precisely, the optimal screening pattern for each woman should be determined, incorporating breast thermography in combination with other imaging modalities, based on cost-effectiveness criteria.
See the full review here: Why Do Radiologists Disown Breast Thermography? A Critical Review of Recent Studies and Recommendations |
