Long-Term Skin Temperature Changes after Breast Cancer Radiotherapy

Abstract

The aim of the study was to use thermal imaging to evaluate long-term chest temperature changes in patients who had previously been treated with radiotherapy. The examination with a thermal imaging camera involved 144 women—48 of them were patients after RT, 48 were females before breast cancer radiotherapy and the last group of participants were 48 healthy women. All patients (before and after radiotherapy) were divided into women after mastectomy and those after conservative surgery. In addition, the first group of women, those who had received radiotherapy, were divided into three other groups: up to 1 year after RT, over 1 year and up to 5 years after RT and over 5 years after RT. Due to this, it was possible to compare the results and analyse the differences between the temperature in the healthy and treated breasts. The comparison of obtained temperature results showed that the area treated by ionizing radiation is characterized by a higher temperature even a few years after the finished treatment. It is worth mentioning that despite the fact that the difference was visible on the thermograms, the patients had no observable skin lesion or change in color at the treatment site. For the results of the study provided for the group of healthy patients, there were no significant differences observed between the average temperatures in the breasts. The use of thermal imaging in the evaluation of skin temperature changes after radiotherapy showed that the average temperature in the treated breast area can change even a long time after treatment.

Radiation induced therapeutic effects in cancerous and tumor cells: A review

“…75 Radiation therapy may reduce the risk of local recurrence in elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer. 76 Radiotherapy is effective for skin cancer, 77 esophageal cancer, oral cancer, 78 and ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer. Used to treat gynecologic malignancies associated with , vagina and vulva.…”

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“…75 Radiation therapy may reduce the risk of local recurrence in elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer. 76 Radiotherapy is effective for skin cancer, 77 esophageal cancer, oral cancer, 78 and ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer. Used to treat gynecologic malignancies associated with , vagina and vulva.…”

Diagnostic Strategies for Breast Cancer Detection: From Image Generation to Classification Strategies Using Artificial Intelligence Algorithms

“…The emitted energy can be visualized in the electromagnetic spectrum, as shown in Figure 7 , where it is seen that the infrared (IR) wave ranges from 0.76 to 1000 μm and in turn is divided into Near-IR, Mid-IR and Far-IR. The available technology to measure IR allows performing the aforementioned task using non-invasive, contactless, safe, and painless equipment [ 159 , 160 , 161 ], making a suitable proposal for developing scanning technologies.…”

“…Cancers 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 14 of 26 using non-invasive, contactless, safe, and painless equipment [159][160][161], making a suitable proposal for developing scanning technologies. To obtain the best possible images, there are mainly three factors that influence thermographic imaging in humans [162,163] 1.…”

“…14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 14 of 26 using non-invasive, contactless, safe, and painless equipment[159][160][161], making a suitable proposal for developing scanning technologies.…”