Abstract

Growth rate and heat production of breast carcinomas have been investigated during the natural evolution of 21 untreated cancers, all with small tumour size (greater than or equal to 3 cm) and most of them were treated by surgery (excision of growth, mastectomy). Three original facts have thus been discovered : a) the specific heat power 1 (i.e. the heat quantity generated by the tumour per untis of volume and time, computed from from intramammary temperature and thermal conductivity measurements made using of fluvographic needle probes), is typical of each cancer and re7ains remarkably constant during the growth in spite of themorphological and of the morphological and circulatory changes; b) the tumour doubling time tau2v (calculated from measurements of the tumour size effected at various stages of the evolution by assuming an exponential growth), is univocally related to 1 by a hyperbolic law so that the faster the tumour is growing themore heat generates; c) q is significanty higher and tau2v shorter in all cases where the histological examination has revealed signs of lymphatic dissemination (carcinomatous lymphangitis, lymph node metastases,...). Practically q represents a quantitative criteria useful for setting with objectivity the pre-therapeutical prognosis of cancers clinically classified T1 or T2 and of circumscribed no palpable cancers. Similar but less accurate prognostic information may also be obtained by cutaneous thermography (infrared, liquid crystals) considering the intensity, extent and topography of the skin hyperthermia frequently elicited by the cancer. Thid aid to prognosis of the thermal methods is all the more valuable as the tumour doubling time cannot be evaluated under the customary clinical conditions.