# Comparative Evaluation of Infrared Thermography and Mammography in the Detection of Breast Cancer

## TL;DR

This study compares infrared thermography and mammography for breast cancer detection, finding that thermography has high specificity but low sensitivity, making it a potential supplementary tool.

## Contribution

The study evaluates thermography as a supplementary, radiation-free alternative to mammography in breast cancer detection.

## Key findings

- Mammography detected 23 of 24 malignant lesions with an AUC of 0.967.
- Infrared thermography detected 18 of 24 malignant lesions with an AUC of 0.875.
- Thermography showed high specificity but low sensitivity for breast cancer detection.

## Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of infrared thermography for detecting breast carcinoma and to compare its performance with that of standard mammography. A secondary objective was to assess the potential role of thermography as a supplementary, non-invasive, radiation-free imaging modality, particularly in settings with limited access to conventional breast imaging.

Methodology: A diagnostic comparison study was conducted over 18 months at JSS Hospitals, Mysuru, involving 30 female patients aged 20-60 years with breast tumors. All participants underwent infrared thermography, mammography, and histopathological analysis. Thermograms showing temperature variations of ≥3°C were considered malignant. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28 (Released 2021; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York), and diagnostic accuracy was assessed based on sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Of the 34 breast lesions evaluated, 24 (70.6%) were malignant and 10 (29.4%) were benign. On mammography, positive findings were observed in 23 (95.8%) malignant cases and one (10%) benign case. Infrared thermography demonstrated no thermal change in all benign and six (25%) malignant cases. Mammography detected 23 of 24 malignant lesions, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.967 (p < 0.05). Infrared thermography detected 18 of 24 malignant lesions, with an AUC of 0.875 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Infrared thermography demonstrated high specificity and a strong PPV; however, its low sensitivity limits its standalone diagnostic utility in breast cancer detection. Nevertheless, owing to its cost-effectiveness, portability, and radiation-free properties, thermography may serve as a valuable supplementary tool, particularly in low-resource settings and among younger women with dense breast tissue.