Noninvasive measurement of the electrical bioimpedance of breast tumors

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibility of differential diagnosis of tumors, such as breast cancer, by measuring the mammary electrical bioimpedance via the skin surface noninvasively and by examining the relationship between the tissue structure of the breast and electrical bioimpedance. The mammary electrical bioimpedance was measured in 24 patients with breast cancer. Taking into account the measurement results and the distribution of the mammary glands and fatty tissue, a breast model with tumors was proposed. Based on this model, the distributions of the electric potential and electric field in the tissue were theoretically analyzed by the three-dimensional finite element method. In clinical cases, the Re values of the diseased breast were significantly larger than those of the contralateral healthy breast. In theoretical analysis based on the breast model, the Re value of mammary electrical bioimpedance varied due to the structure of the breast, that is, the ratio of fatty tissue to mammary gland and the presence of mammary tumors. The results of the measurement agreed with the theoretical analyses. These results suggest that differential diagnosis of breast tumors is possible by measuring the mammary electrical bioimpedance using noninvasive electrodes on the skin.