Potential role of thermography in cancer management

Thermographic technique and energy exchange processes in 107 cancer patients were studied in order to determine relevance in cancer management. The mean oxygen consumption rate in control subjects (36.13 ml/s) was higher than in breast (31.89 ml/s), head and neck (30.64 ml/s), cervical (28.05 ml/s) and other forms of cancers (30.78 ml/s). Mean metabolic heat production rate in control subjects (150.71 Jh-1) was higher than in breast (133.04Jh-1), head and neck (127.80 Jh-1), cervical (117.00 Jh-1) and other cancers (128.37 Jh-1). Convective rate of heat exchange was -14462.91 Jh-1 for non-cancer persons while it was -15841.98 Jh-1 for breast, - 15509.34 Jh-1 for head and neck, -13873.86 Jh-1 for cervical and -3950.10 Jh-1 for other forms of cancers. Evaporative heat loss was -10949.40 Jh-1 for non-cancer patients, -11326.39 Jh-1 for breast, -11229.40 Jh-1 for head and neck, -10788.62 Jh-1 for cervical and -10946.63 Jh-1 for other forms of cancers. Respirative rate of heat loss was - 6.89 Jh-1 for non-cancer patients, - 6.08 Jh-1 for breast, -5.85 Jh-1 head and neck, -5.35 Jh-1 for cervical patients and -5.87 Jh-1 for other forms of cancers. Mean skin temperature for non-cancer patients was 35.44 oC, breast was 36.43 oC, head and neck was 36.19 oC, cervical was 35.01 oC and other forms of cancers was 35.43 oC. The results showed that cancer patients consume less oxygen and gain heat at a higher rate than the non-cancer patients. Skin temperature combined with related physiological energy parameters could be useful in assessing and monitoring cancer patients.