Long-Term Skin Temperature Changes after Breast Cancer Radiotherapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Radiotherapy

Background:

• Radiotherapy is a common treatment for breast cancer.
• Long-term side effects of radiotherapy are not fully understood.
• Objective methods are needed to assess post-treatment changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate long-term chest temperature changes in patients after radiotherapy using thermal imaging.
• To compare temperature differences between healthy and irradiated breast tissue.
• To investigate the correlation between time elapsed since radiotherapy and temperature changes.

Main Methods:

• A thermal imaging camera was used to examine 144 women.
• Participants included patients post-radiotherapy, patients pre-radiotherapy, and healthy controls.
• Patients were categorized by surgery type (mastectomy vs. conservative) and time since radiotherapy (up to 1 year, 1-5 years, over 5 years).

Main Results:

• The area treated with radiotherapy showed a higher temperature compared to healthy breast tissue, persisting for years.
• These temperature differences were detectable via thermography, despite the absence of visible skin lesions or discoloration.
• No significant temperature differences were found between the breasts of healthy women.

Conclusions:

• Thermal imaging can detect long-term changes in skin temperature following radiotherapy.
• Elevated temperatures in the treated breast area suggest persistent physiological changes post-radiation.
• The findings indicate that thermal imaging is a valuable tool for monitoring the long-term effects of radiotherapy.