Modeling static and dynamic thermography of the human breast under elastic deformation

Abstract

An abnormal thermogram has been shown to be a reliable indicator of increased risk of breast cancer. Numerical modeling techniques for thermography are proposed to quantify the complex relationships between the breast thermal behaviors and the underlying physiological/pathological conditions. Previous thermal modeling techniques did not account for gravity-induced elastic deformation arising from various body postures, nor did they suggest that a dynamic thermal procedure may be used to enhance clinical diagnosis. In this paper, 3D finite element method (FEM)-based thermal and elastic modeling techniques are developed to characterize comprehensively both the thermal and elastic properties of normal and tumorous breast tissues during static and dynamic thermography. In the steady state, gravity-induced breast deformation is found to cause an upper-lower asymmetric surface temperature contrast for sitting/standing up body posture, even though all the thermal and elastic properties are assumed uniform. Additionally, the tumor-induced surface temperature alterations are found to be caused primarily by shallow tumors and to be less sensitive to tumor size than to tumor depth. In the dynamic state, the breast exhibits distinctive temporal patterns that are associated with distinct thermal events: cold stress and thermal recovery induced by changes in the ambient temperature. Specifically, the tumor-induced thermal contrast shows an opposite initial change and delayed peak as compared with the deformation-induced thermal contrast. These findings are expected to provide a stronger foundation for, and greater specificity and precision in, thermographic diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer.