Researchers have embarked on a study to assess if an imaging technique used by NASA to inspect the space shuttle can be used to predict tissue damage often experienced by breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center and Argonne National Laboratory are examining the utility of three-dimensional thermal tomography in radiation oncology.
Breast Cancer - Causes, Risks, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment, Prevention & Prognosis
Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breasts or mammary glands. Early detection and lifestyle changes help in controlling breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breasts or mammary glands. Early detection and lifestyle changes help in controlling breast cancer.
"Because reactions usually occur from 10 to 14 days after the beginning of therapy, if we could predict skin reactions sooner we may be able to offer preventative treatment to maximize effectiveness and minimize interruption of radiation treatment," said Dr. Katherine Griem, professor of radiation oncology at Rush.
The researchers are studying if three-dimensional thermal tomography (3DTT) can detect the earliest changes that may trigger a skin reaction.
About Cancer in Women
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.
The basic idea of thermal imaging is to apply heat or cold to a material and observing the resulting temperature change with an infrared camera to learn about its composition.
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Breast Lumps
Most breast lumps are caused by hormonal changes in a woman and may not be cancerous. Common causes of breast lumps include fibroadenosis, breast cancer, breast cyst.
Most breast lumps are caused by hormonal changes in a woman and may not be cancerous. Common causes of breast lumps include fibroadenosis, breast cancer, breast cyst.
In this study, a flash of light is used to heat up the skin. An infrared camera captures a series of images over time that display the temperature of the skin, represented by colors. An algorithm developed by Argonne is used to calculate the temperature change and determine the thermal effusivity of different areas of the skin.
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Breast Lumps Screening
Breast lumps must never be neglected but instead be subjected to medical examination to rule out cancer.
Breast lumps must never be neglected but instead be subjected to medical examination to rule out cancer.
Preliminary data from the study show that marked decreases in thermal effusivity of irradiated skin occur well in advance of the development of high-grade skin reactions.
Dr. Alan Coon, chief resident of radiation oncology at Rush and primary author on the study, said: "Our initial data with radiation induced skin changes are quite encouraging," said
"In addition to finding decreases in effusivity of the treated areas many days before the development of skin reactions, we have also seen that the magnitude of these decreases varies with the grade of the reactions. This exciting result bodes well for the clinical utility of this technique in predicting the severity of a skin reaction before it occurs," Coon added.
The preliminary results from the study are being displayed during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, being held from November 1 - 5, 2009.
Source-ANI
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