Infrared thermography in cats with squamous cell carcinoma: A pilot study

This prospective pilot study aimed to investigate the influence of SCC on skin temperature distribution in cats. Thermographic images were obtained from the nasal planum and pinna of cats with SCC (n = 26) and a healthy control group (n = 9). In the nasal planum, the median temperature in cats with SCC was 31.20 °C while in controls it was 23.50 °C, showing a significant difference (p < 0.001). The ROC curve demonstrated high discriminatory accuracy between groups for temperatures above 24.8 °C (p < 0.001). In the pinna, the median temperature in cats with SCC was 33.85 °C and in controls 28.55 °C, also with a significant difference (p < 0.001). The cutoff point of 32.3 °C indicated good discriminatory capacity between groups (p < 0.001). These preliminary findings suggest that thermography may detect tumor-associated thermal changes, warranting further studies to define its diagnostic and prognostic applicability.