Compact Antenna for Radar-Based Breast Cancer Detection

Microwave imaging for breast cancer detection is based on the contrast in electrical properties of healthy fatty breast tissues and malignant tumors. This inherent contrast causes microwave reflections from tumors embedded in normal tissues. Radar-based breast imaging detects tumors by observing variations in microwave signals reflected from the tumors as the antenna location changes. The topics of this paper are the development of a compact antenna for the detection of cross-polarized reflections and the application of this antenna to radar-based breast cancer detection. The antenna is designed, simulated, constructed and measured. The capabilities and limitations of the antenna for detecting tumor models are investigated through simulation and experiments, demonstrating the potential of this method for the detection of tumors in the breast.