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Dynamic Angiothermography (DATG) is a technique for the diagnosis of breast cancer. This technique, though springing from the thermography of old conception, is based on a completely different principle. DATG records the temperature variations linked to the vascular changes in the breast due to angiogenesis. The presence, change, and growth of tumors and lesions in breast tissue change the vascular network in the breast. Consequently, measuring the vascular structure over time, DATG effectively monitors the change in breast tissue due to tumors and lesions. It is currently used in combination with other techniques for diagnosis of breast cancer. This diagnostic method is a low cost one compared with other techniques. The angiothermography is not a test that substitutes for other tests, but stands in relation to them as a technique that gives additional information to clarify the clinical picture and improve the quality of diagnosis. == History == In the early 1970s, studies of Prof. J. Tricoire in France focused on the application of contact thermography for the screening of breast cancer using plates with liquid crystals. The principle, on which the methodology developed by Tricoire was based, was to record and map the heat generated by possibly emergent tumors. These studies had a very interesting debut, since the examination was absolutely non-invasive (no radiation is required or contrast agents). The test is performed by putting the thermal detection screen in contact with the breast, allow time for image formation, and analyze the resultant image. While some detection of tumors and lesions was demonstrated, the technique also included a propensity for substantial false positives (non-existent cancer diagnosed). During the time at which contact thermography screening was being practiced more detailed studies on the change in the breast due to the presence of tumors and lesions were being performed. The connection between breast tumors and vascularization was highlighted and studied in detail by Judah Folkman in his research on angiogenesis which began in 1965. These studies, the more complete description of this process, and the models emergent from this work, earned Folkman the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1992. Dynamic angiothermography utilizes thermal imaging but with important differences with the “old” thermography, that impact detection performance. First, the probes are much improved over the previous liquid crystal plates; they include better spatial resolution, contrastive performance, and the image is formed more quickly. The more significant difference lies in identifying the thermal changes due to changes in vascular network to support the growth of the tumor/lesion. Instead of just recording the change in heat generated by the tumor, the image is now able to identify changes due to the vascularization of the mammary gland. In order for a tumor (to originate, develop and grow) an enhanced blood supply is necessary (angiogenesis theory). The more detailed map of the vascular network contains information pointing to the location where the breast has changed to accommodate the tumor. More importantly, the ability to visualize tumors in a precancerous state enables prompt and strategic removal, which of course removes the cause of the tumor. The general idea emerging from several clinical studies, is that every woman has their own blood pattern image, which is like a fingerprint and, in healthy women, can remain unchanged over time. Changes in this “fingerprint” are evidence of a suspected tumoral or pre-tumoral activity. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dynamic angiothermography」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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