Microwave imaging of breast cancer: Simulation analysis of SAR and temperature in tumors for different age and type

Abstract

Microwave imaging (MI) offers a safer, cheaper, and an effective way of detecting breast cancer. In this analysis, a wide-band microstrip patch antenna working between 3.6 to 9.2 GHz frequency range has been used in a monostatic MI system for breast cancer detection. A breast model made of skin, fat and tumor is exposed to the antenna radiation. The antenna scans the breast model at 77 positions and collects the reflection coefficients from each scan. Confocal Microwave Imaging (CMI) algorithm is used on those collected reflection coefficients to generate a 2D image of the breast. This 2D image of the breast shows the presence of the tumor inside it. SAR in the breast layers for dielectric properties of the tumor based on different age group (47, 49, 51, and 45) and types are calculated. Temperature in the breast layers are also calculated in the presence of the cancerous tumor and found to be correlated with the SAR. The results show a significant increase in the SAR and temperature in the breast layers in presence of the tumor. Moreover, SAR and temperature increase seem to be highly dependent on the dielectric and thermal properties of the breast layers.