Russian researchers have proposed a method for detecting cancer and other diseases by measuring body temperature. Results were published in Sensors.
Detecting a temperature change is one way to diagnose diseases such as cancers, blood flow disorders, and arthritis, which alter body temperature. While this detection is easy to do on the surface of the skin with an infrared pyrometer, it is impossible to accurately measure the temperature inside the body without damaging the skin with existing tools. New research from RUDN University, Moscow, proposes a radiothermography method that measures the temperature distribution inside the body.
“The purpose of this study is to show the possibility of 3D visualization of the internal thermal field of a person using the results of measurements of radio brightness temperatures, simultaneously measured at different points of the body, using a multi-channel, multi-frequency radiothermograph,” says Svetlana Agasieva, PhD, associate professor of the department of nanotechnology and microsystem technology at the Academy of Engineering, RUDN University. “The novelty of the approach considered is an attempt to more accurately localize the heat source position due to 3D visualization of the internal heat field of a body and monitoring the temperature dynamics of a heat point source inside the human body.”
Researchers have proposed a method, device, and software to accurately determine the location of the source of increased heat in the body. A small antenna is installed on the surface of the body, which can measure the internal temperature with an accuracy of one degree. The patient drinks an aqueous glucose solution, which is quickly absorbed into the blood and carried through the cells. Because of this, the body temperature rises evenly by one- to two-tenths of a degree. However, if there is a malignant formation somewhere, the temperature in it will rise sharply by one or two degrees for a few minutes—a change that can be detected by the device. The researchers developed a calculation method to clarify the depth of the pathology location.
The device and the simulation results were tested experimentally with real patients. The method visualizes temperature “layers” that users can scroll through on the computer screen to accurately determine the depth of the heat source. Moreover, they can view how the temperature has changed in this area. In the future, the researchers will realize clinical trials of the device.
“The detailed information about the internal thermal field of a human body has made possible not only detection of an internal malignant tumor, but also the determination of the depth of its location,” Agasieva says. “The new radiothermograph gives an opportunity for more detailed analysis of the state of the vascular system of the brain and early diagnosis of various brain pathologies. Of course, it is too early to talk about all the possibilities and advantages of the new radiothermograph, which will be confirmed during clinical tests that will begin in the nearest future.”
Featured Image: Research from RUDN University, Moscow, proposes a radiothermography method that measures the temperature distribution inside the body to detect cancers and other diseases. Photo: RUDN University
