Sensor Monitoring of Thermal and Vascular Changes During Neoadjuvant Treatment

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Physiology

Background:

• The physiological effects of neoadjuvant therapy on vascular and thermal responses in breast cancer patients are not well understood.
• Non-invasive sensor technologies like thermography and Doppler ultrasound can assess circulatory and thermal changes.
• These changes may serve as predictive biomarkers for treatment outcomes and side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate vascular impairment in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy.
• To correlate circulatory alterations with skin surface temperature.
• To assess the utility of sensor-based monitoring for capturing physiological responses during neoadjuvant therapy.

Main Methods:

• 38 women were enrolled: breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and healthy controls.
• Thermographic imaging measured upper-limb surface temperature.
• Doppler ultrasound assessed arterial and venous blood flow in the cubital fossa.

Main Results:

• Patients showed higher surface temperature and blood flow velocity than controls before therapy, indicating pre-existing dysregulation.
• Neoadjuvant therapy significantly altered thermal and vascular dynamics.
• Sensor-based monitoring effectively captured these subtle physiological changes.

Conclusions:

• Breast cancer patients exhibit pre-existing vascular and thermal dysregulation.
• Neoadjuvant therapy induces significant changes in thermal and vascular dynamics.
• Sensor-based monitoring is valuable for tracking physiological responses during neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer.