Detection of breast cancer by liquid crystal thermography.A preliminary report

Autor: Atila Can, Max Chapman, James L. Fergason, Thomas W. Davison, C. C. Voorhis, Keith L. Ewing
Rok vydání: 1972
Předmět:
Zdroj: Cancer. 29:1123-1132
ISSN: 1097-0142
0008-543X
DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197205)29:5<1123::aid-cncr2820290502>3.0.co;2-8
Popis: Thermography is a technique to map a surface temperature pattern. Liquid crystals are a class of compounds which exhibit color-temperature sensitivity when in a cholestatic phase which exists within a specific temperature range. It is a state of matter intermediate between a solid and a liquid. Liquid crystal (LC) thermography can produce a color thermogram over a skin area with a temperature sensitivity of .1 degree C. The skin temperature over mammary carcinomas is increased compared with contralateral area of the other breast. Infrared thermography has confirmed this. The LC method is less expensive than infrared and better for mass screening. In an LC study of 105 women with abnormal breast characteristics and 197 apparently healthy women detection of palpable malignancies had a true-positive rate of 82.5% a false-positive rate of 13.6% and only 1 of 17 histologically proven malignancies gave no thermographic signs. The measurement technique is described in detail. A malignant tumor shows an abnormally warm venous drainage thermal pattern. Various drainage heat intensities were related to the speed with which skin thermogram temperatures increased over the veins. In 17 patients with later histologically proven carcinoma intense unilateral venous drainage patterns radiating from a focal area were observed. Also large vascular temperature gradients were noted locally on the breast. An increased unilateral venous drainage thermal pattern to the axilla indicated a malignancy in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. Exact location of a cancer was not usually possible. Of the false positive interpretations 4 had suspicious thermograms and 8 were equivocal. LC thermography was found more reliable than either mammography or physical examination. However combined methods would improve results. Normal therograms have been classified in 197 cases. Women under age 30 and those with previous pregnancies had more intense vascular patterns. Women on oral contraceptives had more frequent intense vascular patterns than the average of all groups. Women who had lactated for more than 10 months also showed increased intense vascular patterns. An increase in vascularity was noted with increased breast size but decreased in pendulous breasts. It was shown that LC thermography can detect breast cancer in the preclinical or occult stages. Simplicity rapid application and low cost make it suitable for mass-screening programs.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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