How safe is Sentinel BreastScan?
Sentinel BreastScan causes no health risks or side affects. It is safe for everyone. Sentinel BreastScan is FDA approved.

I take yearly mammograms, why should I take another exam?
Sentinel BreastScan collects different data than other exams. Mammography, ultrasound, MRI, and clinical breast exams detect anatomical features. Sentinel BreastScan detects physiological features associated with the growth and spread of cancer cells. This additional information will be used by the radiologist reviewing your mammography films to make sure nothing was overlooked. If any abnormal areas were indicated on the infrared image, the radiologist will give that area special attention so that cancer can be detected at the earliest stage possible.

How often do I need to take this exam?
Sentinel BreastScan is typically taken yearly however it can be taken more frequently as recommended by your doctor.

If Sentinel BreastScan can see cancer in advance, can't I take it every few years?
Although infrared imaging can detect abnormalities leading to cancer before a mass forms, in many cases cancerous masses have developed and formed within months. A yearly infrared breast exam will help to ensure cancer will be detected at an earlier stage.

I have breast implants. Can I take Sentinel BreastScan?
Yes. Sentinel BreastScan is very helpful for women with breast implants since the implants will not affect the accuracy of the exams. Mammograms are sometimes unreliable in the case of implants because it is difficult to take a film of all the breast tissue. This is not the case with Sentinel BreastScan.

Who can take Sentinel BreastScan?
This exam is recommended to all women over the age of 18 including women previously diagnosed with cancer, with implants, and especially women with dense or cystic breasts or family history of breast cancer.

No one in my family has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Why do I need to take another exam?
The majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer are the first members of their family to be diagnosed. Although family history is a high risk factor, an abnormal infrared image is 10 times more significant as a future risk factor than first order family history.

Does my insurance company cover this exam?
No insurance company is currently covering this exam. Insurance companies decide whether or not to cover an exam based on how many people take the exam in a year’s time.

I have not recently had a mammogram but I want to take Sentinel BreastScan. What should I do?
Sentinel BreastScan has been approved by the FDA as a tool used in conjunction with mammography. Your doctor will need a current mammogram to compare infrared results to.
For women too young to have a mammogram, infrared imaging can be used in conjunction with a clinical breast exam.

Can women too young to take mammograms take Sentinel BreastScan?
YES! This exam is especially helpful for women not eligible yet for mammograms. Women in the 18 to 40 age category now have another tool in addition to a clinical breast exam that can detect breast cancer.

I have recently undergone radiation treatment; can I take Sentinel BreastScan today?
Patients should wait one year after undergoing radiation to take Sentinel BreastScan. However, if radiation was done on one breast, there is no need to wait 12 months to have infrared results on the other breast.

Why haven’t I heard of Sentinel BreastScan IR before?
Some may have heard of breast thermography in past years. The tremendous advances in technology over the last 20 years have significantly increased the accuracy of infrared imaging tools. Sentinel BreastScan is a new exam and was recently approved by the FDA in February of 2004. Because of how recently the FDA has approved Sentinel BreastScan, you may not have heard about it until today. However in the coming months you can be sure you will receive more information from doctors and the news media as this exciting new tool becomes more widely in use.

Can infrared imaging detect inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a form of breast cancer that is generally in the skin of the breast and is rarely diagnosed with mammography. The only diagnosis is a biopsy, usually done after more advanced signs of the disease are observed clinically. One of the early signs of the disease includes an elevated breast temperature that increases over time as the disease advances. Infrared imaging can detect even a slight increase in the breast temperature, and thus is an effective indicator of the potential for this condition. If significant temperature signs are observed with infrared, and your doctor suspects the possibility of IBC, he may order an early biopsy before other more advanced clinical signs become evident.