Abstract
Purpose: Microwave radar-based breast imaging technology utilizes the principle of radar, in which radio waves reflect at the interface between target and normal tissues, which have different permittivities. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and safety of a portable microwave breast imaging device in clinical practice. Materials and methods: We retrospectively collected the imaging data of ten breast cancers in nine women (median age: 66.0 years; range: 37–78 years) who had undergone microwave imaging examination before surgery. All were Japanese and the tumor sizes were from 4 to 10 cm. Using a five-point scale (1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = fair; 4 = good; and 5 = excellent), a radiologist specialized in breast imaging evaluated the ability of microwave imaging to detect breast cancer and delineate its location and size in comparison with conventional mammography and the pathological findings. Results: Microwave imaging detected 10/10 pathologically proven breast cancers, including non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and micro-invasive carcinoma, whereas mammography failed to detect 2/10 breast cancers due to dense breast tissue. In the five-point evaluation, median score of location and size were 4.5 and 4.0, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the evaluation suggest that the microwave imaging device is a safe examination that can be used repeatedly and has the potential to be useful in detecting breast cancer.
Highlights
The number of breast cancer cases in Japan has been increasing since the 2000s and is currently the most common cancer in Japanese women [1]
We have developed a compact and light device for breast tumor detection that employs complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-integrated circuits and a microwave radar-based imaging system [14,15,16,17,18]
Microwave radar-based breast imaging technology utilizes the principle of radar, in which radio waves reflect at the interface between target and normal tissues that have different permittivities [11]
Summary
The number of breast cancer cases in Japan has been increasing since the 2000s and is currently the most common cancer in Japanese women [1]. The number of breast cancers and deaths in women has increased annually in Japan [1]. Mammography (MG) is commonly used for breast cancer screening, which has been shown to decrease the mortality rate of breast cancer [2]. Dense breast tissue makes it difficult to detect breast cancer on MG and reduces its sensitivity [3]. Young women and Asian women commonly have dense breast tissue and may not be suitable for MG screening [4]. MG is a painful examination, with radiation exposure [5]
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