HEAT-SEEKING technology, used by the military for years to 'see' objects shrouded in darkness, is now being used to zero in on breast cancers here.
Sirius Medical Innovation, a local specialist in thermal-imaging solutions, has developed a prototype system which uses high-precision infrared thermal imaging to pinpoint the exact location of tumours in the breast - especially those which cannot be located by conventional screening.
This works especially well here as 'most Asian women have denser breasts', said Dr Teo Sze Yiun, consultant radiologist with KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).
'Dense breasts can make traditional mammograms more difficult to interpret because the tissues appear as a solid white mass on the film - much like tumours - masking the growth,' she said.
Called Thermal Imaging Medical System (TIMS), it has been tested on 300 patients at KKH over the last five months in an initial trial. The women were sent there for diagnostic tests when they were suspected of having breast cancer.
Professor David Stringer, head of diagnostic imaging at KKH, said the system zooms in on cancerous tumours, which emit heat.
'This is caused by the increased blood flow in the area around tumours. The camera detects the heat and it appears as a white patch on the screen,' he said.
Breast cancer is the No.1 killer cancer among women in Singapore. More than 1,000 new cases are detected every year.
The initial trial allowed the hospital to develop a protocol using the system.
'We first acclimatise the patient for 15 minutes to the temperature of an air-conditioned room before she goes into the chamber to have her breast photographed. Then her hands are placed in cold water for a short period of time and she enters again to have the same photos taken,' he said. The cold water helps to bring down the patient's body temperature.
The patients were also put through mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
But Prof Stringer said TIMS is used only to determine the location of tumours, and not for screening.
'Mammography is still the gold standard for screening and early detection.'
Phase 2 of the trial started this month.
juditht@sph.com.sg
How thermal imaging works
THE Thermal Imaging Medical System combines ultra-sensitive infrared imaging photography with specialised computer software to record the amount of heat present in the breast.
The heat comes from the increased blood flow in the tumour and the area surrounding it.
The special lens of the camera focuses on the infrared light emitted by the object in view. A detailed temperature pattern is created and the computer translates the information.
The images are then transmitted electronically to doctors to interpret and act on.
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on September 12, 2008.
