Desenvolvimento de procedimento e análise de imagens térmicas para a identificação do câncer de mama

Abstract

Each year, cancer has been established as a public health problem worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer remains a leading cause of death in women worldwide. Cancer is a disease that affects the most world´s population and it is the most common among women, accounting for 22% of new cases each year. In Brazil, breast cancer mortality rates remain high, most likely because the disease is still diagnosed in advanced stages.The use of thermal imaging is presented as an emerging diagnostic test in medicine. Thus, the aim of this study is the effective detection of breast cancer, with infrared image, which appears as a tolerable and inexpensive technique.70 healthy volunteers and patients (women), these 26 cases with breast cancer, 23 with benign breast disease (fibrocystic breast disease, cysts, mastitis) and 21 normalwere evaluated by infrared thermography. The main results were normal values of temperature ranges for each group yielding a high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of breast cancer evaluated by thermography.Statistical methods were used to establish different groups of patients as the reference temperature in these regions. In addition to the thermal images,other healthy checks were taken comparison purpose such as mammography, ultrasound and biopsy. The specificity and sensitivity of the thermographic tests were compared with those obtained from biopsies of 55 cases.