Diagnostic potentials of modern radiothermometry in oncomammological practice

BACKGROUND: Radiothermometry (RTM) is a breast examination method that permits, besides visualization of the pathological foci, to evaluate the quality of metabolism, which is important for the determination of the biological subtypes of breast cancer (BC) and the possibility of the evaluation of the degree of tumor aggressiveness before immunohistochemical analysis. AIM: To study the potentials of modern RTM in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast pathologies and in different biological subtypes of BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overall, 118 patients with different breast pathologies were examined using РТМ 01 РЭС computerized diagnostic complex. Measurements were performed in nine points: directly on the breast ― for the visualization of tumor, in two control points (in the region of the epigastrium and sternal xiphoid process), and in one point in the axillary zone on both sides ― for the identification of probable metastases. The examination time was 15–20 min for each woman. RTM results were compared with histological, ultrasound, mammographic, and clinical data. RESULTS: The sensitivity and accuracy of RMT in the differential diagnosis of breast pathology were 96.9% and 74.5%, respectively. The specificity of RTM in the differentiation of aggressive and non-aggressive BC subtypes appeared to be low at 6.6%. In the evaluation of the temperature difference between the pathological and normal tissues, a tendency to a non-increase in the temperature above the tumor in comparison with the unaffected tissue was noted; however, no significant differences between the mean values for the healthy and affected breasts were obtained. No correlations were found between the proliferative index of BC and frequency of thermoasymmetry or extent of its evidence (r < 0.3). CONCLUSION: RTM demonstrated effectiveness in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant alterations of the breast; thus, it is not a method of choice in the evaluation of the spread and biological subtype of BC.