A Computational Method for the Estimation of the Geometrical and Thermophysical Properties of Tumor Using Contact Thermometry

Contact thermometry is the measurement of surface temperature using sensors in contact with the medium. These surface temperatures can be potential indicators of any abnormality possibly a tumor. This research work aims to present a computation method that makes use of contact thermometry to estimate the geometric center, size, and thermophysical properties of breast tumor. Wearable thermal sensors captured real-time surface temperature readings from discrete point locations. The continuous heat distribution over the domain was formulated using forward heat transfer analysis. The optimization method estimated tumor parameters of the breast, and a three-dimensional thermal model was developed from the estimated parameters. Laboratory experiments on breast phantoms were done to validate the estimation method. Furthermore, real-time temperature readings of human subjects were recorded, and the estimated location and size were then compared with the mammogram results. It was found that the estimated two-dimensional geometric center and the size in diameter of the tumor closely match with the mammogram results. Further, the thermophysical properties estimated using the proposed method had a higher order in subjects having a tumor making it a tool for breast cancer screening.