Title :
Development and Testing of a Single Frequency Terahertz Imaging System for Breast Cancer Detection
Author :
St. Peter, Benjamin ; Yngvesson, S. ; Siqueira, Paul ; Kelly, Patrick ; Khan, Ajmal ; Glick, Stephen ; Karellas, Andrew
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
Abstract :
The ability to discern malignant from benign tissue in excised human breast specimens in Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) was evaluated using single frequency terahertz radiation. Terahertz (THz) images of the specimens in reflection mode were obtained by employing a gas laser source and mechanical scanning. The images were correlated with optical histological micrographs of the same specimens, and a mean discrimination of 73% was found for five out of six samples using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. The system design and characterization is discussed in detail. The initial results are encouraging but further development of the technology and clinical evaluation is needed to evaluate its feasibility in the clinical environment.
Keywords :
biological organs; cancer; gas lasers; laser applications in medicine; sensitivity analysis; surgery; terahertz wave imaging; tumours; BCS; ROC analysis; benign tissue; breast cancer detection; breast conservation surgery; clinical evaluation; excised human breast specimens; gas laser source; malignant tissue; mechanical scanning; optical histological micrographs; receiver operating characteristic analysis; single frequency terahertz imaging system; single frequency terahertz radiation; Acoustic beams; Detectors; Focusing; Laser beams; Refractive index; Surgery; Breast cancer; THz; medical imaging; reflectivity; refractive index; single frequency THz imaging (SFTI);
Journal_Title :
Terahertz Science and Technology, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TTHZ.2013.2241429
