Breast Cancer Detection System Research Articles

A 3D electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system for breast cancerdetection

A medical device which allows imaging of the distribution of conductivityin 3D in regions below the skin surface has been developed and tested. Itspurpose is to enable early detection and preliminary diagnosis of breasttumours. Design of the measuring system and software are described. Results ofclinical evaluation of the system are presented. EIT images of healthy andcancerous breasts are presented and discussed. The system is able to visualizevarious states of the breast and it may be possible to apply it to breastcancer detection.

An improved three-dimensional direct numerical modelling and thermal analysis of a female breast with tumour.

It is well known that malignant tumour tissue generally has higher metabolic and blood perfusion rates than most normal tissues. The authors aim to show that the tissue temperature profile within the breast and the surface temperature profile can be quantified to develop an expert system or diagnostic tool for breast cancer detection. The surface temperature and tissue temperature profiles are analysed for a three-dimensional numerical model of a normal breast and a breast with a tumour. Tumours of different sizes are placed at various locations. In the model, the tissue temperature profile is distorted at the tumour location and was found to compare well with in vivo tests. It was also found that as the tumour was moved to deeper locations its effect on surface temperature was lower. It was observed that small tumours in deeper regions do not have a significant isolated impact on the surface. The numerical results could also capture a shift in the position of the tumour. For tumours greater than 10 mm in the superficial regions and of significant size in deeper regions, it could be seen that the surface temperature distribution of the breast is directly related to the position and size of the tumour embedded in it. The feasibility of providing a diagnostic tool in conjunction with numerical modelling and high-resolution thermograms is also discussed.

Clinical optical tomography and NIR spectroscopy for breast cancer detection

The results of the first set of clinical trials with the Philips optical mammography prototype system are summarized. This optical mammo prototype is designed to image the interior of the female breast with the help of near-infrared (NIR) laser light transmission measurements. This study is expected to lead to optical tomography systems for breast cancer detection. This paper presents information on the design of the optical mammo system, the clinical measurements and the imaging results from an initial group of ten patients, and discussions about ongoing research on optical tomography.

Three-dimensional FDTD analysis of a pulsed microwave confocal system for breast cancer detection: design of an antenna-array element

We are investigating a new ultrawide-band (UWB) microwave radar technology to detect and image early-stage malignant breast tumors that are often invisible to X rays. We present the methodology and initial results of three-dimensional (3-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The discussion concentrates on the design of a single resistively loaded bowtie antenna element of a proposed confocal sensor array. We present the reflection, radiation, and scattering properties of the electromagnetic pulse radiated by the antenna element within a homogeneous, layered half-space model of the human breast and the polarization and frequency-response characteristics of generic tumor shapes. We conclude that the dynamic range of a sensor array comprised of such elements in conjunction with existing microwave equipment is adequate to detect small cancerous tumors usually missed by X-ray mammography.

Two-dimensional FDTD analysis of a pulsed microwave confocal system for breast cancer detection: fixed-focus and antenna-array sensors.

A novel focused active microwave system is investigated for detecting tumors in the breast. In contrast to X-ray and ultrasound modalities, the method reviewed here exploits the breast-tissue physical properties unique to the microwave spectrum, namely, the translucent nature of normal breast tissues and the high dielectric contrast between malignant tumors and surrounding lesion-free normal breast tissues. The system uses a pulsed confocal technique and time-gating to enhance the detection of tumors while suppressing the effects of tissue heterogeneity and absorption. Using published data for the dielectric properties of normal breast tissues and malignant tumors, we have conducted a two-dimensional (2-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational electromagnetics analysis of the system. The FDTD simulations showed that tumors as small as 2 mm in diameter could be robustly detected in the presence of the background clutter generated by the heterogeneity of the surrounding normal tissue. Lateral spatial resolution of the tumor location was found to be about 0.5 cm.

Organizing systems for breast cancer detection.

Organizing systems for breast cancer detection.

Factors to be considered in organizing systems for breast cancer detection.

Factors to be considered in organizing systems for breast cancer detection.

Automated breast cancer detection by thermography : performance goal and diagnostic feature identification

This paper presents the methodology used for establishing a performance goal and identifying the diagnostic features in a program to develop an automated system for breast cancer detection based on thermographic principles. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve approach is used to evaluate both observer classification and classification rules based on an observer's evaluation of diagnostic features. The multivariate logistic function is applied to two sets of observer evaluated feature sets using 623 normal and 122 breast cancer diagnosed subjects. It is shown that the observer outperforms the multivariate logistic function classifier based on the diagnostic features.