# Why Do Radiologists Disown Breast Thermography? A Critical Review of Recent Studies and Recommendations

## TL;DR

This paper reviews recent studies on breast thermography and questions whether current medical recommendations against it are still valid.

## Contribution

The paper critically evaluates recent thermography studies and suggests standardization ideas to improve its acceptance.

## Key findings

- Recent studies using modern thermal cameras and AI show thermography's sensitivity and specificity comparable to mammography.
- Radiologists often remain unaware of these recent findings and continue to oppose thermography's use.
- The paper proposes standardization measures to make thermography more acceptable in clinical practice.

## Abstract

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is key to a successful treatment. Thermography is a safe and painless imaging technique with potential as a complementary tool for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Although recent studies have reported promising results, health agencies oppose its implementation in clinical practice. In this work, we review the evidence supporting breast thermography and critically assess the arguments used by various health authorities to recommend against its use.

Thermography was first applied to breast cancer detection in the 1950s but fell out of favor among radiologists due to inconsistent and inconclusive findings in the following decades. Studies conducted in the 21st century using new-generation thermal cameras and computer vision techniques, particularly artificial intelligence, have reported sensitivity and specificity values comparable to those of mammography. However, most radiologists, being unaware of these results, still believe this technique is ineffective, and medical societies advise against using it, even as an adjunct to mammography. In this paper we review recent studies and discuss whether the recommendations of scientific societies are still valid in the light of new evidence. We also propose some ideas for standardizing breast thermography studies that could help make this technique acceptable to the radiology community.