DIGITAL CONTACT THERMOMAMMOGRAPHY IN BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSTICS
A new design of a digital contact thermograph is presented. The thermograph is equipped with a thermoscanner and 36 intellectual thermosensors. The resolution of measures is 0.06 °C; the readings can be converted into the dual digital code which is processed by the computer. Mathematical processing results in color temperature maps, so called thermomammograms (TMG) of the area under investigation in a real time. A functional block diagram of the device and the process of TMG acquisition are described. In the Donetsk Anticancer Center, an allround examination, including TMG, was performed in 74 women in whom breast cancer (BC) was diagnosed preliminary. Out of this number, the conclusions made on the basis of TMG findings coincided with the overall result of examination in 60 (81.1%) cases. In two women (2.7%), BC was ruled and mastopathy was diagnosed instead; in 6 patients (8.1%) the diagnosis was false negative; and in one woman (1.35%) it was false positive. In terms of the type of temperature distribution, TMGs were classified into the following groups: focal, diffuse, and spotted (camouflage). A number of examples of TMG is provided. The method has a sensitivity of 90.9%, a specificity of 87.9%, and an accuracy of 90.5%. It is concluded that the method of digital contact thermography can be useful for initial examination of women in the settings of primary hospitals.
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