Digital Infrared Imaging
As cancer cells outgrow their blood supply, they trick the body into making new blood vessels to feed them in a process known as angiogenesis. This, combined with the higher metabolic rate of cancer cells, causes them to be slightly warmer than the surrounding tissues and to warm faster. In digital infrared imaging, a special camera that can measure heat is pointed at the skin of the patient, often while the patient is cooled with, for example, blown air or by having her hands and feet dipped in ice-water. Cancerous regions that are close enough to the skin will show up as warm spots. Digital infrared imaging does not use any ionizing radiation, and is a useful complement to mammography. This technology has yet to be implemented in clinical settings.