The development of microwave breast cancer detection and treatment techniques has been driven by reports of substantial contrast in the dielectric properties of malignant and normal breast tissues. However, definitive knowledge of the dielectric properties of normal and diseased breast tissues at microwave frequencies has been limited by gaps and discrepancies across previously published studies. To address these issues, we conducted a large-scale study to experimentally determine the ultrawideband microwave dielectric properties of a variety of normal, malignant and benign breast tissues, measured from 0.5 to 20 GHz using a precision open-ended coaxial probe. Previously, we reported the dielectric properties of normal breast tissue samples obtained from reduction surgeries. Here, we report the dielectric properties of normal (adipose, glandular and fibroconnective), malignant (invasive and non-invasive ductal and lobular carcinomas) and benign (fibroadenomas and cysts) breast tissue samples obtained from cancer surgeries. We fit a one-pole Cole-Cole model to the complex permittivity data set of each characterized sample. Our analyses show that the contrast in the microwave-frequency dielectric properties between malignant and normal adipose-dominated tissues in the breast is considerable, as large as 10:1, while the contrast in the microwave-frequency dielectric properties between malignant and normal glandular/fibroconnective tissues in the breast is no more than about 10%.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/52/20/002/pdf

A large-scale study of the ultrawideband microwave dielectric properties of normal, benign and malignant breast tissues obtained from cancer surgeries

The physical basis for breast tumor detection with microwave imaging is the contrast in dielectric properties of normal and malignant breast tissues. Confocal microwave imaging involves illuminating the breast with an ultra-wideband pulse from a number of antenna locations, then synthetically focusing reflections from the breast. The detection of malignant tumors is achieved by the coherent addition of returns from these strongly scattering objects. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of detecting and localizing small (<1 cm) tumors in three dimensions with numerical models of two system configurations involving synthetic cylindrical and planar antenna arrays. Image formation algorithms are developed to enhance tumor responses and reduce early- and late-time clutter. The early-time clutter consists of the incident pulse and reflections from the skin, while the late-time clutter is primarily due to the heterogeneity of breast tissue. Successful detection of 6-mm-diameter spherical tumors is achieved with both planar and cylindrical systems, and similar performance measures are obtained. The influences of the synthetic array size and position relative to the tumor are also explored.

/pdf/confocal-microwave-imaging-for-breast-cancer-detection-25zqf6ushm.pdf

Confocal microwave imaging for breast cancer detection: localization of tumors in three dimensions

A method of microwave imaging via space-time (MIST) beamforming is proposed for detecting early-stage breast cancer. An array of antennas is located near the surface of the breast and an ultrawideband (UWB) signal is transmitted sequentially from each antenna. The received backscattered signals are passed through a space-time beamformer that is designed to image backscattered signal energy as a function of location. The beamformer spatially focuses the backscattered signals to discriminate against clutter and noise while compensating for frequency-dependent propagation effects. As a consequence of the significant dielectric-properties contrast between normal and malignant tissue, localized regions of large backscatter energy levels in the image correspond to malignant tumors. A data-adaptive algorithm for removing artifacts in the received signals due to backscatter from the skin-breast interface is also presented. The effectiveness of these algorithms is demonstrated using a variety of numerical breast phantoms based on anatomically realistic MRI-derived FDTD models of the breast. Very small (2 mm) malignant tumors embedded within the complex fibroglandular structure of the breast are easily detected above the background clutter. The MIST approach is shown to offer significant improvement in performance over previous UWB microwave breast cancer detection techniques based on simpler focusing schemes.

/pdf/microwave-imaging-via-space-time-beamforming-for-early-a9374qyb0q.pdf

Microwave imaging via space-time beamforming for early detection of breast cancer

The efficacy of emerging microwave breast cancer detection and treatment techniques will depend, in part, on the dielectric properties of normal breast tissue. However, knowledge of these properties at microwave frequencies has been limited due to gaps and discrepancies in previously reported small-scale studies. To address these issues, we experimentally characterized the wideband microwave-frequency dielectric properties of a large number of normal breast tissue samples obtained from breast reduction surgeries at the University of Wisconsin and University of Calgary hospitals. The dielectric spectroscopy measurements were conducted from 0.5 to 20 GHz using a precision openended coaxial probe. The tissue composition within the probe’s sensing region was quantified in terms of percentages of adipose, fibroconnective and glandular tissues. We fit a one-pole Cole–Cole model to the complex permittivity data set obtained for each sample and determined median Cole–Cole parameters for three groups of normal breast tissues, categorized by adipose tissue content (0–30%, 31–84% and 85–100%). Our analysis of the dielectric properties data for 354 tissue samples reveals that there is a large variation in the dielectric properties of normal breast tissue due to substantial tissue heterogeneity. We observed no statistically significant difference between the within-patient and between-patient variability in the dielectric properties. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

/pdf/a-large-scale-study-of-the-ultrawideband-microwave-4iavso4ia6.pdf

A large-scale study of the ultrawideband microwave dielectric properties of normal breast tissue obtained from reduction surgeries.

This article outlines the main features of active, passive, and hybrid systems under investigation for breast cancer detection. Our main focus is on active microwave systems, in particular microwave tomography and confocal microwave imaging.

Enhancing breast tumor detection with near-field imaging

There is a need for a medical imaging technology, that supplements current
clinical brain imaging techniques, for the near-patient and mobile assessment of cerebral
vascular disease. Microwave tomography (MWT) is a novel imaging modality that has
this potential. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility, and potential
performance characteristics, of MWT for brain imaging with particular focus on stroke
detection. The study was conducted using MWT computer simulations and 2D head
model with stroke. A nonlinear Newton reconstruction approach was used.
The MWT imaging of deep brain tissues presents a significant challenge, as the
brain is an object of interest that is located inside a high dielectric contrast shield,
comprising the skull and CSF. However, high performance, nonlinear MWT inversion
methods produced biologically meaningful images of the brain including images of
stroke. It is suggested that multifrequency MWT has the potential to significantly
improve imaging results.

/pdf/microwave-tomography-for-brain-imaging-feasibility-20l500gzm5.pdf

Microwave Tomography for Brain Imaging: Feasibility Assessment for Stroke Detection

Microwave tomography (MWT) is an emerging biomedical imaging modality with great potential for non-invasive assessment of functional and pathological conditions of soft tissues. This paper presents a review of research results obtained by the author and his colleagues and focuses on various potential clinical applications of MWT. Most clinical applications of MWT imaging have complicated, nonlinear, high dielectric contrast inverse problems of three-dimensional diffraction tomography. There is a very high dielectric contrast between bones and fatty areas compared with soft tissues. In most cases, the contrast between soft-tissue abnormalities (the target imaging areas) is less pronounced than between bone (fat) and soft tissue. This additionally complicates the imaging problem. In spite of the difficulties mentioned, it has been demonstrated that MWT is applicable for extremities imaging, breast cancer detection, diagnostics of lung cancer, brain imaging and cardiac imaging.

/pdf/microwave-tomography-review-of-the-progress-towards-clinical-2lzjtjbqb8.pdf

Microwave tomography: review of the progress towards clinical applications.

Microwave tomography is an imaging modality based on differentiation of dielectric properties of an object. The dielectric properties of biological tissues and its functional changes have high medical significance. Biomedical applications of microwave tomography are a very complicated and challenging problem, from both technical and image reconstruction point-of-views. The high contrast in tissue dielectric properties presenting significant advantage for diagnostic purposes possesses a very challenging problem from an image-reconstruction prospective. Different imaging approaches have been developed to attack the problem, such as two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D), minimization, and iteration schemes. The goal of this research is to study imaging performance of the Newton and the multiplicative regularized contrast source inversion (MR-CSI) methods in 2-D geometry and gradient and MR-CSI methods in 3-D geometry using high-contrast, medium-size phantoms, and biological objects. Experiments were conducted on phantoms and excised segment of a pig hind-leg using a 3-D microwave-tomographic system operating at frequencies of 0.9 and 2.05 GHz. Both objects being of medium size (10-15 cm) possess high dielectric contrasts. Reconstructed images were obtained using all imaging approaches. Different approaches are evaluated and discussed based on its performance and quality of reconstructed images.

Microwave-tomographic imaging of the high dielectric-contrast objects using different image-reconstruction approaches

Microwave tomographic imaging is one of the new technologies which has the potential for important applications in medicine. Microwave tomographically reconstructed images may potentially provide information about the physiological state of tissue as well as the anatomical structure of an organ. A two-dimensional (2-D) prototype of a quasi real-time microwave tomographic system was constructed. It was utilized to reconstruct images of physiologically active biological tissues such as an explanted canine perfused heart. The tomographic system consisted of 64 special antennae, divided into 32 emitters and 32 receivers which were electronically scanned. The cylindrical microwave chamber had an internal diameter of 360 mm and was filled with various solutions, including deionized water. The system operated on a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The polarization of the incident electromagnetic field was linear in the vertical direction. Total acquisition time was less than 500 ms. Both accurate and approximation methods of image reconstruction were used. Images of 2-D phantoms, canine hearts, and beating canine hearts have been achieved. In the worst-case situation when the 2-D diffraction model was used for an attempt to "slice" three-dimensional (3-D) object reconstruction, the authors still achieved spatial resolution of 1 to 2 cm and contrast resolution of 5%.

Microwave tomography: two-dimensional system for biological imaging

The microwave tomographic approach is proposed to detect and image breast cancers. Taking into account the big difference in dielectrical properties between normal and malignant tissues, the authors have proposed using the microwave tomographic method to image a human breast. Because of the anatomical features of the objects, this case has to be referred to the tomography with a limited angle of observation. As a result of computer experiments the authors have established that multiview cylindrical configurations are able to provide microwave tomograms of the breast with a small size tumor inside. Using the gradient method, the authors have developed a computer code to create images of the three-dimensional objects in dielectrical properties on microwave frequencies.

Serguei Semenov

Papers

Microwave Tomography for Brain Imaging: Feasibility Assessment for Stroke Detection

Microwave tomography: review of the progress towards clinical applications.

Microwave-tomographic imaging of the high dielectric-contrast objects using different image-reconstruction approaches

Microwave tomography: two-dimensional system for biological imaging

Computational modeling of three-dimensional microwave tomography of breast cancer