Correlation of Breast Cancer Thermographic Signs with Morphologic, Immunohistochemic Characteristics and Breast Tissue Structure

Aim: To evaluate and compare the correlation of morphological and immunohistochemical properties of breast cancer and lesions detected by mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging with resolution in thermographic images. Objectives: Evaluation of breast cancer thermographic imaging correlation with morphological features of the tumor. Evaluation of immunohistochemical properties of the tumor influence on its expression in thermographic images. Determination of breast tumor thermographic imaging reliance on breast tissue structure. Methods: A retrospective study was performed at the Radiology Clinic of Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LUHS) Kauno Klinikos. 236 women (n=236) with breast cancer diagnosis for the first time between 01.05.2016 and 01.05.2018, and with agreement to participate in the study, were included in the study. One day before the surgery, patients underwent thermographic breast imaging using the ThermaCAM P640 camera (FLIR Systems, USA), photos were analyzed using the software FLIR Tools. Breast tissue density, tumor size, pathologic changes and pathologic blood flow or neoangiogenetical signs on ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging with relations of histological findings of biopsy material were evaluated. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS 22.0 programs, using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis H tests and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: The most common type of tumor was infiltrative ductal carcinoma (72.88%). The most frequently detected tumors (68.22%) were less than 20 mm with statistically significant lower (p = 0.004) temperatures in thermographic images compared to more than 20 mm diameter tumors. On radiological imaging breast cancer most often was detected as a mass (85.17%) and hypervascular (62.7%). Increased breast vascularity was detected rarely (13.16 %). Breast cancer with intraductal component (28.81%) exibited statistically significant (p