Infrared thermography of cutaneous melanoma metastases.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Differentiating melanoma metastasis from benign cutaneous lesions currently requires biopsy or costly imaging, such as positron emission tomography scans. Melanoma metastases have been observed to be subjectively warmer than similarly appearing benign lesions. We hypothesized that infrared (IR) thermography would be sensitive and specific in differentiating palpable melanoma metastases from benign lesions.

Materials and methods

Seventy-four patients (36 females and 38 males) had 251 palpable lesions imaged for this pilot study. Diagnosis was determined using pathologic confirmation or clinical diagnosis. Lesions were divided into size strata for analysis: 0-5, >5-15, >15-30, and >30 mm. Images were scored on a scale from -1 (colder than the surrounding tissue) to 

SUBMITTER: Shada AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4426199 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature