Magnetic nanoparticles enhanced microwave imaging: A feasibility assessment

This communication deals with a recently proposed methodology for breast cancer diagnosis. Such a strategy is based on the joint use of microwaves, as a non-invasive and non-toxic tool to probe cancer lesions, and of Magnetic NanoParticles (MNP). These latter are used as a biocompatible contrast agent able to selectively enhance the response of cancerous tissues by modifying their magnetic permeability. Key aspects of the strategy are the possibility to modulate the magnetic response of MNP by using a polarizing magnetic field and the capabilities of avoiding ambiguities in discriminating between cancerous and healthy tissues. This contribution aims at providing a feasibility assessment of this new methodology in quasi realistic conditions. To this purpose, a numerical analysis has been carried out, in which the MNP behavior has been modeled according to the results of an experimental characterization and the imaging problem has been simulated by considering malignant lesions lying into an anthropomorphic 3D breast phantom.