Various factors affecting the detection of malignant tumors using infrared thermography: a numerical study

Breast cancer is an increasingly prevalent, dangerous illness that is highly treatable when detected early. This study explores infrared thermography, a low-cost and non-invasive method, as an effective tool for early breast cancer diagnosis, especially beneficial for young women. Increased metabolic activity in tissues surrounding malignant cells enables the detection of their presence using the surface temperature of the breast, which can be quantified through computational modelling. Changes in metabolic heat rate and blood perfusion rate cause an increase in the temperature difference above the tumor in the range of 0.1 to (Formula presented.) It is observed that for a (Formula presented.) increase in room temperature, the same increases by (Formula presented.) In addition, the maximum temperature difference increases with increasing tumor size but decreases for increasing tumor depth. By quantifying these relationships, the effect of factors like metabolic heat rate, blood perfusion rate, size, and fat composition (density) on surface temperature distributions are significant for making predictive models to detect breast tumor location and size. Further, thermal parameters “Half temperature length” and “maximum temperature difference” have significant effects on the prediction of the size and depth of the tumor.