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Microwave Breast Cancer Detection

Early detection of breast cancer significantly increases the chance of recovery. Conventional screening methods including x-ray mammography have several drawbacks such as ionizing radiation, uncomfortable breast compression, and a relatively high miss rate. Our research t​eam is developing a microwave-based breast cancer detection system as a low-cost screening tool that can complement existing technologies. The system uses an antenna array to propagate low-power microwave signals into the breast and records the scattered waveforms in order to detect malignancies. We develop various machine learning techniques to process the signals recorded by a multistatic antenna array and to decide whether they correspond to a healthy breast.

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System and data​

  • 16-element antenna array time-domain system
  • Breast placed inside radome
  • A 2-4GHz pulse transmitted in turn
  • Tissue-mimcking reast phantoms with varying dielectric properties.
  • 290 tumor-free or tumor scans collected in 20 days.
  • 96 scans collected from 12 volunteers in 8 months.

Team:​