Abstract
The diagnostic accuracy of the breast cancer thermograms may. depend on the vascularity of the breast, the size, location, depth and histological type of the tumor, and the temperature resolution of the infra-red camera, in addition to the visual and subjective readings of the thermograms.
To reduce the visual and subjective errors of the thermogram readings, frontal view thermograms of the chest in 49 female patients with breast tumor were subjected to computer - analysis. Video signals from an infra-red camera (JTG-MA Thermoviewer) were on-line digitized at 255 levels with respect to 8700 points per thermogram and simultaneously converted to °C. Mean and highest temperature differences between the bilateral breasts, and the temperature difference between the tumor and the symmetrical point within the contra-lateral breast, when the tumor corresponded with the highest point of the temperature, were used as features in differentiation of hot or cold tumors.
The overall accuracy of the computer analysis was similar to that of the visual reading of the thermogram; 62% of malignant tumors were evaluated as hot tumors and 87% of benign tumors as cold tumors. The visual and computer readings were identical for 83-85% of all tumors.*Received on Jun. 16th 1975, Revised on Dec. 17th 1975
