Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: It is well known that healthy and cancer cells are different in energy consumption. These differences lead to small changes in local temperature, so infrared thermal imaging (thermography) are applications for diagnosis of several types of cancer such as breast cancer. There are some problems in our country such as a variety of cultural and religious issues to take sample thermal images of the breast, so it is time consuming procedure to take samples. For verification of cancer detection algorithm from thermal images, its necessary to simulate the thermal profile of the breast as a database .One way to achieve optimal database is using thermal images of breast tissue that is simulated by computer.

Methods: Doing this needs some steps, first we used statistical software to achieve point of breast volume, and then we meshed this volume by using Gambit software. In the next step the volume that was created, was entered into the Fluent software in order to simulate normal breast, finally tumor with 2 cm diameter was put in certain depth (6 cm) with simulation thermal images of abnormal breast. Also, this tumor was put in different depth and evaluated the temperature changes on the surface.

Results: It clearly shows that the tumor had considerable influence on the simulated thermal profile of the breast. It is possible to simulate various types of breast without any modern heat equipment and verifying validation of diagnostic algorithms.

Conclusion: Simulations of thermal profiles show that tumor, disrupts the heat distribution on the surface of the breast.