Assessing Tissue Dielectric Constant Values in Tumor Bearing and Healthy Breasts

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Physics
• Radiology

Background:

• Accurate characterization of breast tissue properties is crucial for diagnosing breast conditions.
• Tissue dielectric constant (TDC) is a potential biomarker for tissue characterization.
• Understanding TDC variations in healthy and diseased breast tissue is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and characterize tissue dielectric constant (TDC) values in female breasts.
• To establish quantitative reference data for TDC at 5 mm depths.
• To determine the utility of TDC measurements in differentiating benign from malignant breast tumors.

Main Methods:

• Bilateral TDC measurements were performed in 82 women prior to ultrasound-guided biopsy.
• TDC was measured in triplicate over tumors and contralateral healthy breasts.
• Reference values and interbreast TDC ratios were calculated and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Average TDC was significantly higher in tumor-bearing breasts compared to healthy breasts (29.9 ± 8.5 vs. 26.7 ± 4.5, p = 0.0003).
• A two-SD threshold of 35.7 was established for healthy breasts, indicating potential edema/lymphedema above this value.
• Interbreast TDC ratios exceeding 1.275 may indicate breast edema/lymphedema.
• No statistically significant difference in TDC was found between benign and malignant tumors.
• Interbreast TDC ratios were higher for malignant versus benign tumors, but with significant overlap.

Conclusions:

• TDC measurements provide reference data for 5 mm depths and can indicate breast edema/lymphedema.
• Current TDC measurements are inadequate for differentiating benign from malignant breast tumors due to significant overlap in ratios.
• Further research may refine TDC analysis for improved diagnostic capabilities.