Noninvasive spectral monitoring for radiation therapy induced skin-inflammation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Biomedical Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt

2 Radiotherapist

3 Engineering Mathematics, Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt

4 Associate Professor, Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences

5 Professor of Engineering Physics

Abstract

In the pursuit of improving the quality of radiotherapy treatment for skin cancer, meticulous monitoring of skin toxicity is imperative. This monitoring process focuses on examining the emergence of acute skin toxicity resulting from radiation exposure. Skin toxicity is a prevalent issue affecting approximately 90% of patients undergoing ionizing radiation therapy for cancer treatment. This study explores the utility of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in quantifying the inflammatory response of skin erythema, a common manifestation of skin toxicity. Expert visual assessment (VA), optical imaging, and HSI were employed to monitor induced skin erythema in five recruited skin cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Erythema indices were calculated using Dawson's formulas applied to the HSI data, and the results were compared to
VA. The findings revealed a strong correlation between the computed relative erythema index and VA, indicating its potential as an objective measure. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that HSI outperforms optical imaging in accurately classifying skin erythema in precision and specificity. Thus, HSI is a promising tool for investigating toxicity
symptoms associated with various dermatological conditions.  

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