[Thermography in the combined diagnosis of minimal breast cancer]

A group including 65 patients with minimal form of breast cancer (less than 1 cm in dia) was used in a study on the scope of application of thermographic procedures for diagnosis. Correct preoperative diagnosis of cancer was established on the basis of thermographs in 40 out of 65 cases (61.5%), clinical data--53 out of 65 cases (81.5%) and mammographs--in 23 out of 39 cases (59.0%). Application of these diagnostic procedures yielded false negative predictions in 2 cases (5.1%) only. Thermographs showed minimal cancers of the breast chiefly as chaotic vascularization in 60%. The frequency of identification of pathologic alterations by means of thermography is determined by the size of tumor focus, presence of regional metastases and malignity of tumor process. Since thermography appeared to provide a sufficiently reliable means for identification of minimal cancers of the breast, this procedure should be recommended for use in mass screenings.