NearSense – Advances Towards a Silicon-Based Terahertz Near-Field Imaging Sensor for Ex Vivo Breast Tumour Identification

Abstract

Breast Cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancer diseases worldwide, and the most common invasive tumour for women. As with all cancers, early detection plays a major role in reducing the mortality and morbidity rate. Currently, most breast cancers are detected due to clinical symptoms, or by screening mammography. The limitations of these techniques have resulted in research of alternative methods for imaging and detecting breast cancer. Apart from this, it is essential to define precise tumour margins during breast-conserving surgeries to reduce the re-excision rate. This study presents the advances in the development of a silicon-based THz sub-wavelength imager usable in life science applications, especially for tumour margin identification.

Terahertz Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

“…Based on these unique features, THz radiation has potential applications in biology [ 14 ], security [ 15 ], data communication [ 16 ], biomedical imaging [ 17 , 18 ], and food and agriculture [ 19 ]. Over the past two decades, THz imaging and spectroscopy have been investigated for biomedical applications [ 20 , 21 ], including diagnosis of liver cirrhosis [ 22 ], burn wounds [ 23 ], breast cancer [ 24 ], colon tumor [ 25 ], brain tumor [ 26 ], skin cancer [ 27 ], and other diseases [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Novel configuration of aperture-type terahertz near-field imaging probe

“…In both cases, the ultra-high resolution that breaks through the diffraction limit is predicated on the generation and exploitation of evanescent waves in the vicinity of the probe apex [14]. This kind of imaging modality has a wide range of applications, including non-destructive access to surface and subsurface structural information of the sample [15], micro/nanostructure imaging [16,17], biomedical imaging [18,19], and crystal characterization [20]. A thorough comparison between aperture type and aperture-less type imaging methods has been fully discussed in our previous research [21].…”