title: Temperature differences are associated with malignancy on lung lesions: a clinical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although new endoscopic techniques can enhance the ability to detect a suspicious lung lesion, the primary diagnosis still depends on subjective visual assessment. We evaluated whether thermal heterogeneity of solid tumors, in bronchial epithelium, constitutes an additional marker for the diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A new method, developed in our institute, is introduced in order to detect temperature in human pulmonary epithelium, in vivo. This method is based on a thermography catheter, which passes the biopsy channel of the fiber optic bronchoscope. We calculated the temperature differences (DeltaT) between the lesion and a normal bronchial epithelium area on 22 lesions of 20 subjects, 50 - 65 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven lesions were benign and 11 were malignant, according to the biopsy histology followed the thermography procedure. We found significant differences of AT between patients with benign and malignant tumor (0.71 +/- 0.6 vs. 1.23 +/- 0.4 degrees C, p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that 1-Celsius degree differences between normal tissue and suspicious lesion six-fold the probability of malignancy (odds ratio = 6.18, 95% CI 0.89 - 42.7). Also, DeltaT values greater than 1.05 degrees C, constitutes a crucial point for the discrimination of malignancy, in bronchial epithelium, with sensitivity (64%) and specificity (91%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the calculated DeltaT between normal tissue and a neoplastic area could be a useful criterion for the diagnosis of malignancy in tumors of lung lesions.
authors.affiliation: Hippokration Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. cstefan@cc.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Christodoulos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stefanadis
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chrysohoou
authors.forename: Demosthenes B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Passalidou
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Katsi
authors.forename: Vlassios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Polychronopoulos
authors.forename: Pavlos K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Toutouzas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa; D013696:Temperature; D013817:Thermography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*