Image processing based vascular network analysis

Uncontrolled new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) is really important step for the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. Nowadays, drugs which inhibit new vessel growth have been developed for cancer treatment. In cancer treatment management, it is vital to know which extend the vascularity reaches in order to guide the treatment. Vascular imaging devices and methods of treatment are available in clinical applications. However, many of them are invasively, non-portable and expensive systems. On the other hand, early diagnosis of skin and breast cancers gradually increased, which greatly increases the rate of survival. Hence, the need for a portable, cheap and non-invasive system plays an important role for the monitoring of early diagnostic conditions and/or the structure of a diagnosed tumor. To detect the new blood vessel formation, analysis of vessel complexity and width can be used on the recorded images by the systems. In this study; artificial vascular networks are used to determine the image processing techniques for using these analyses.