IR Imaging Technology Could Improve Breast Cancer Detection

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and physicians from the Rochester Regional Health System (RRHS) have developed a noninvasive, cost-effective method using infrared (IR) technology to locate hard-to-find breast cancer tumors. The system consists of an IR camera on a track mounted underneath a cushioned table. It is angled and can be adjusted as the clinician moves it to take images. The team is also using advanced computer simulation technology to do predictive analysis on tumor locations and growth.

Professor Satish Kandlikar and doctoral students Jose Luis Gonzalez Hernandez and Alyssa Recinella discuss an artificial intelligence system that can provide predictive analytics to determine more information about the progression of disease. Courtesy of M. Cometa/RIT.

The RIT-RRHS team has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to screen patients and correlate IR images against original MRI images, to provide validation of the overall process and technology.

“Current screening modalities rely heavily on digital mammography, but this technique has shortcomings, particularly in the significant subset of women who have dense breast tissue. Infrared imaging using our technique is easy, quick, noninvasive, and cost-effective,” said Pradyumna Phatak, M.D. “Our preliminary data suggest that it may be a very sensitive adjunct to routine screening mammography. Further studies are needed to decide the best way to utilize this technology in practice.”