Quantitative Visualization and Detection of Skin Cancer Using Dynamic Thermal Imaging

Abstract

In 2010 approximately 68,720 melanomas will be diagnosed in the US alone, with around 8,650 resulting in death 1 . To date, the only effective treatment for melanoma remains surgical excision, therefore, the key to extended survival is early detection 2,3 . Considering the large numbers of patients diagnosed every year and the limitations in accessing specialized care quickly, the development of objective in vivo diagnostic instruments to aid the diagnosis is essential. New techniques to detect skin cancer, especially non-invasive diagnostic tools, are being explored in numerous laboratories. Along with the surgical methods, techniques such as digital photography, dermoscopy, multispectral imaging systems (MelaFind), laser-based systems (confocal scanning laser microscopy, laser doppler perfusion imaging, optical coherence tomography), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, are being tested. Each technique offers unique advantages and disadvantages, many of which pose a compromise between effectiveness and accuracy versus ease of use and cost considerations. Details about these techniques and comparisons are available in the literature 4 . Infrared (IR) imaging was shown to be a useful method to diagnose the signs of certain diseases by measuring the local skin temperature. There is a large body of evidence showing that disease or deviation from normal functioning are accompanied by changes of the temperature of the body, which again affect the temperature of the skin 5,6 . Accurate data about the temperature of the human body and skin can provide a wealth of information on the processes responsible for heat generation and thermoregulation, in particular the deviation from normal conditions, often caused by disease. However, IR imaging has not been widely recognized in medicine due to the premature use of the technology 7,8 several decades ago, when temperature measurement accuracy and the spatial resolution were inadequate and sophisticated image processing tools were unavailable. This situation changed dramatically in the late 1990s-2000s. Advances in IR instrumentation, implementation of digital image processing algorithms and dynamic IR imaging, which enables scientists to analyze not only the spatial, but also the temporal thermal behavior of the skin 9 , allowed breakthroughs in the field.In our research, we explore the feasibility of IR imaging, combined with theoretical and experimental studies, as a cost effective, non-invasive, in vivo optical measurement technique for tumor detection, with emphasis on the screening and early detection of melanoma [10][11][12][13] . In this study, we show data obtained in a patient study in which patients that possess a pigmented lesion with a clinical indication for biopsy are selected for imaging. We compared the difference in thermal responses between healthy and malignant tissue and compared our data with biopsy results. We concluded that the increased metabolic activity of the melanoma lesion can be detected by dynamic infrared imaging. Video LinkThe vide...

The Use of Thermal Infra-Red Imaging to Detect Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

“…IR imaging has been used to detect and diagnose many diseases 17,[19][20][21][22][23][24] . Changes in the human body's temperatures have always been indicators of dysfunction, where increased heat is mainly associated with some sort of inflammation or infection 17 .…”

“…Therefore, if muscle blood flow remained elevated in the exercised arm, the warmer blood would keep the muscle warm and hence the overlying skin would stay warm. As a result, breast tumors in women and skin cancer can be easily detected by IR imaging because of the increased blood flows to the affected lesion site 20,21 .…”

Strategien zur nichtinvasiven Diagnostik des Melanoms

“…Temperaturveränderungen an der Hautoberfläche werden durch einen wechselhaft temperierten Luftstrom provoziert und die folgenden Anpassungsvorgänge mit einer hochsensiblen Infrarotkamera abgebildet. Eine Software, die die Messdaten verarbeitet, liefert für gesunde und kranke Haut unterschiedliche Signale [50]. In Studien zeigten sich Temperaturunterschiede zudem abhän-gig vom Clark-Level des Melanoms [50].…”

“…Eine Software, die die Messdaten verarbeitet, liefert für gesunde und kranke Haut unterschiedliche Signale [50]. In Studien zeigten sich Temperaturunterschiede zudem abhän-gig vom Clark-Level des Melanoms [50]. Das Verfahren der aktiven Thermographie wurde in den vergangenen Jahren von der DERMOLOCKIN GmbH, einer Ausgründung der Zürcher Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften, weiterentwickelt [51].…”

Infrared Thermography - Applications in Poultry Biological Research

“…The IRTI technique plays a major role in biological research applications such as: thermal physiology in mammals (Klir & Heath, 1992;Klir et al, 1990;Mohler & Heath, 1988;Philips & Heath, 1992) and birds (Philips & Sanborn, 1994;Stewart et al, 2005;Yahav 2009;Yahav et al, 1998Yahav et al, , 2004; fever diagnosis in homeotherm birds and mammals, including humans (Chiu et al, 2005;Nguyen et al, 2010;Teunissen & Daanen, 2011); cancer diagnosis (Cetingul & Herman, 2010;Herman & Cetingul, 2011;Kontos et al, 2011); and animal population counts.…”