Microwave thermography in the detection of breast cancer
- 1 February 1980
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Roentgen Ray Society in American Journal of Roentgenology
- Vol. 134 (2) , 365-368
- https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.134.2.365
Abstract
Microwave thermography, a method of sensing subcutaneous temperatures, was used in a breast cancer detection study of about 5,000 female patients. The data were taken at wavelengths of 9.1 and 23 cm. Microwave thermography at 23 cm has true-positive and true-negative detection rates of 0.8 and 0.6, respectively, comparable to those of infrared thermography (0.7) and inferior to those of xeromammography (0.9). However, a potential advantage results if microwave and infrared thermography are used together for screening, and if mammography is used only for follow-up on those patients who were positive on either the microwave or the infrared thermograms. It is then possible to obtain true-positive and true-negative detection rates of 0.9 and 0.9, respectively, while only half the number of patients need be subjected to x-rays.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: