Broadband cross-polarized bowtie antenna for breast cancer detection

Currently, various approaches to microwave breast cancer detection are being investigated by several research groups. Microwave approaches are expected to provide complementary information to that obtained with mammography, the gold standard method for breast imaging. Microwave images are related to the electrical properties of tissues, and there is some evidence to suggest that a contrast exists between normal healthy breast tissues and malignant tumors. In this paper, we investigate the frequency responses of tumors in a simple breast model using computer simulations over the frequency range of 2 to 4.25 GHz. Also, the influence of a variety of parameters (e.g. tumor shape, size, location and depth) on the frequency response is examined.