2008 International Conference on BioMedical Engineering and Informatics
Measurements of Radiation-Induced Skin Changes in Breast-Cancer Radiation Therapy Using Ultrasonic Imaging
May 27-May 30
ISBN: 978-0-7695-3118-2
Skin injury is a common side effect of breast-cancer radiation therapy. Although physicians often observe skin toxicity, quantifying its severity remains a challenge. We present a novel quantitative ultrasonic technique to evaluate skin changes associated with radiotherapy. An in vivo study with twelve breast-cancer patients was conducted. All patients received a standard course of post-surgery radiation therapy. Each patient received ultrasound scans to the irradiated breast and the untreated (contra-lateral) breast. Radio-frequency (RF) backscatter signals and B-mode images were acquired simultaneously. To quantify the severity of skin injury, two metrics were calculated from the RF signals: skin thickness and Pearson correlation coefficient of the subcutaneous layer. Comparing to the non-irradiated skin, the average thickness of the irradiated skin increased by 40% (p=0.005) and the average correlation coefficient of the irradiated hypodermis decreased by 35% (p=0.02). This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a non-invasive ultrasonic technique to detect and quantify radiation-induced skin changes.
Index Terms:
ultrasound imaging, breast cancer, radiotherapy, tissue toxicity
Citation:
Tian Liu, Jun Zhou, K. Sunshine Osterman, Pengpeng Zhang, Shermian A. Woodhouse, Peter B. Schiff, Gerald J. Kutcher, "Measurements of Radiation-Induced Skin Changes in Breast-Cancer Radiation Therapy Using Ultrasonic Imaging," bmei, vol. 2, pp.718-722, 2008 International Conference on BioMedical Engineering and Informatics, 2008