Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Contrary to Facebook Post’s Advice

SciCheck Digest

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers mammograms “the most effective primary breast cancer screening test” and says there is no evidence to indicate that thermography can replace mammograms. But an article shared on Facebook tells people to “stop getting mammograms” and try thermography instead.

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Each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 264,000 women and 2,400 men in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer, and roughly 42,000 women and 500 men die from the disease.

In most cases, early detection is key to surviving the disease, health experts say. And mammograms, although not flawless, are the most effective method of detecting breast cancer early, when it is most treatable, says the FDA, the federal agency that regulates medical devices used for breast cancer screening.

“It is the only test shown to reduce breast cancer deaths,” says the American College of Radiology.

The ACR also notes that mammography, which became more widespread in the 1980s, has contributed to a nearly 40% reduction in breast cancer mortality in from the National Cancer Institute.