Abstract
We propose a new approach to microwave breast tumor sensing and diagnosis based on the use of biocompatible flagellated magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) adapted to operate in human microvasculature. It has been verified experimentally by Martel et al. that externally generated magnetic gradients could be applied to guide the MTB along preplanned routes inside the human body, and a nanoload could be attached to these bacterial microbots. Motivated by these useful properties, we suggest loading a nanoscale microwave contrast agent such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or ferroelectric nanoparticles (FNPs) onto the MTB in order to modify the dielectric properties of tissues near the agent-loaded bacteria. Subsequently, we propose a novel differential microwave imaging (DMI) technique to track simultaneously multiple swarms of MTB microbots injected into the breast. We also present innovative strategies to detect and localize a breast tissue malignancy and estimate its size via this DMI-trackable bacterial microrobotic system. Finally, we use an anatomically realistic numerical breast phantom as a platform to demonstrate the feasibility of this tumor diagnostic method.
Highlights
In recent years, there have been considerable efforts in applying microwave technology for early-stage breast cancer detection [1]
As can be seen from this figure, the locations of these footprints correlate well with the size of the tumor, which demonstrates the potential of the proposed method for tumor size estimation. This preliminary study presented a novel scheme for microwave breast cancer detection and diagnosis with the use of multiswarm bacterial microbots
Compared to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided tumor targeting based on magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) [14], the current approach is much cheaper by replacing the expensive MRI equipment with the low-cost microwave system
Summary
There have been considerable efforts in applying microwave technology for early-stage breast cancer detection [1]. The effectiveness of microwave medical imaging is considerably influenced by clutter interference due to healthy tissue inhomogeneities [2] This problem can be possibly solved by using a contrast agent such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) [3] or ferroelectric nanoparticles (FNPs) [4] to change the tumor tissue dielectric values. These agents can be transported selectively to cancer cells via systemic administration for specific and noninvasive diagnosis of tissue malignancies within specified regions-of-interest (ROI). These contrast media can be employed in medical therapeutic applications such as microwave hyperthermia treatment [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
