Density map and fuzzy classification for breast density by using BI-RADS

Abstract

Mammographic density (MD) is conformed by a different percentage of stromal, epithelial, and adipose tissue within the breast. One of the most critical findings in mammographic patterns for establishing a diagnosis of breast cancer is high breast tissue density. There is a wide variety of works focused on the study and automatic calculation of general breast density; however, they do not provide more detailed information about the changes that may occur within the breast tissue. This work proposes to generate a breast density map based on a texture analysis to identify the internal composition and distribution of the breast tissue through the diffuse division technique of the different densities inside the breast. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a density map associated with the breast that allows us to distinguish and quantify the different types of breast densities and their distribution according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS Breast Density Category). The proposed methodology was tested with mammograms from the BCDR and InBreast databases, demonstrating consistency in results and reaching an accuracy of 84.2% and 81.3%, respectively. Finally, the information obtained from the density map and its analysis could be a support tool for the specialist physician to monitor changes in breast density over time, since the fuzzy classification carried out allows quantifying the degree of membership in the BI-RADS breast density classes.