Tumor Detection and Characterization Using Microwave Imaging Technique-An Experimental Calibration Approach

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Microwave imaging (MWI) offers a non-invasive method for detecting biological tissue anomalies.
• Comparing electrical properties of healthy and malignant tissues is key to MWI.
• Early tumor detection is crucial for effective breast cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and experimentally evaluate a microwave imaging system for breast tumor detection.
• To assess the system's performance across various tumor sizes and locations.
• To validate the system's potential for clinical application.

Main Methods:

• A microwave imaging system using a horn antenna in a monostatic configuration was developed.
• Simulated tumors with high dielectric contrast were used in a homogeneous background medium.
• Reflection coefficients were utilized for image reconstruction with a modified beamforming algorithm.

Main Results:

• The system achieved a minimum accuracy of 96% across all test cases.
• Evaluation time for image reconstruction was less than 48 seconds.
• Key metrics including DICE score, IoU, precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were computed.

Conclusions:

• The proposed microwave imaging methodology shows promising results for breast tumor detection in controlled environments.
• The system's high contrast in conductivity aids in antenna and phantom calibration for improved imaging.
• Further biological studies are needed for potential clinical implementation, contributing to SDG 3.