A Survey on Machine Learning Algorithms for the Diagnosis of Breast Masses with Mammograms

Breast cancer is leading cancer among women for the past 60 years. There are no effective mechanisms for completely preventing breast cancer. Rather it can be detected at its earlier stages so that unnecessary biopsy can be reduced. Although there are several imaging modalities available for capturing the abnormalities in breasts, mammography is the most commonly used technique, because of its low cost. Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) system plays a key role in analyzing the mammogram images to diagnose the abnormalities. CAD assists the radiologists for diagnosis. This paper intends to provide an outline of the state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms used in the detection of breast cancer developed in recent years. We begin the review with a concise introduction about the fundamental concepts related to mammograms and CAD systems. We then focus on the techniques used in the diagnosis of breast cancer with mammograms.