Numerical analysis of microwave detection of breast tumours using synthetic focussing techniques

Abstract

Microwave detection of breast tumours is a non-ionising and potentially low-cost and more certain alternative to X-ray mammography. Analogous to ground penetrating radar (GPR), microwaves are transmitted using an antenna array and the reflected signals, which contain reflections from tumours, are recorded. The work presented here employs a post reception synthetically focussed detection method developed for land mine detection (R. Benjamin et al., IEE Proc. Radar, Sonar and Nav., vol. 148, no.4, pp. 233-40, 2001); all elements of an antenna array transmit a broadband signal in turn, the elements sharing a field of view with the current transmit element then record the received signal. By predicting the path delay between transmit and receive antennas via any desired point in the breast, it is then possible to extract and time-align all signals from that point. Repeated for all points in the breast, this yields an image in which the distinct dielectric properties of malignant tissue are potentially visible. This contribution presents a theoretical evaluation of the breast imaging system using FDTD methods. The FDTD model realistically models a practical system incorporating wide band antenna elements. One major challenge in breast cancer detection using microwaves is the clutter arising from skin interface. Deeply located tumours can be detected using windowing techniques (R. Nilavalan et al., Electronics Letters, vol. 39, pp. 1787-1789, 2003); however tumours closer to the skin interface require additional consideration, as described herein

An Overview of Uwb Antennas for Microwave Imaging Systems for Cancer Detection Purposes

“…The antenna array model consists of 16 microstrip-fed wideband stacked patch antenna elements [34] as those presented in Figure 2(b). The results obtained in [16] and [33] derived using backscatter data, from an anatomically realistic 2D-FDTD model, demonstrate successful detection of a small tumor (2 mm-diameter) in a lossy-inhomogeneous human breast [16].…”

“…However, the scanner was limited in accuracy and scan-time, thus, it was decided to replace it with a 16-elements stacked-patch antenna array as shown in Figure 3(a). This array follows the design model presented in [16], where the antennas were printed on a ε r = 2.2 dielectric substrate which was separated from the antenna ground plane with a ε r = 10.2 (a) (b) Figure 3. UWB antennas array for microwave imaging systems for breast cancer detection: (a) planar stacked-patch 16-antennas array [35] and (b) semispherical conformal 16-antennas array [36].…”

“…FDTD model: (a) 16 microstrip-fed wideband stacked patch antenna elements [16] and (b) stacked patch antenna [34].…”

Review on diagnosis cancerous tissue using image data mining

“…Researcher compare texture description methods GLCM, GLDM, SRDM, NGLCOM, NGLDM, GLRLM with Spectral Shape but analysis accuracy value is 93.85 for Spectral Shape. R. Nilavalan et al [13], present Numerical analysis of microwave detection of breast tumours using synthetic focussing techniques. Chi-Shih Yang et al [14], present Parametric data mining and diagnostic rules for digital thermographs in breast cancer.…”

“…Early detection of cancerous region, Mammography is considered the most reliable method [3] [4], However it suffers from relatively high missed-and false-detection rates and involves uncomfortable compression of the breast. X-rays are also ionizing and therefore not generally suited to frequent screening [5].…”