Thermal Imaging Is Potentially Beneficial for Examining Patients With BCC Treated With High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy

According to a study published the Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy, thermal imaging of patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy may be helpful.

Researchers aimed to determine whether thermal imaging of patients with BCC treated with HDR brachytherapy is helpful in the treatment of BCC. The preliminary study included 33 patients with histopathologically confirmed BCC in the head area. Thermovision was used to monitor the patients during brachytherapy treatment.

Two groups of patients were characterized with thermal maps and a temperature gradient that described the lesion and surrounding BCC area. The first group of patients had a higher temperature of the lesion than the surrounding area and the second group had a lower temperature of the lesion than the surrounding area. The temperature changes before and after therapy may provide new quantitative information about skin thermal reactions to ionizing radiation.

“Although the data obtained indicate the possibilities of temperature distribution in pre-irradiation cases, further research is required for estimation of clinical effects of treatment,” concluded the study authors.

Reference
Kapek Ł, Cholewka A, Szurko A, et al. Physical parameters in thermal imaging of basal cell cancer patients treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy—first study. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. Published online ahead of print December 29, 2022. doi:10.5603/RPOR.a2022.0114