Microwave Imaging via Space-Time Signal Processing for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Detection, Monitoring, and Treatment

在这项研究人员发起的奖项下，将进行研究，开发一种超宽带微波成像方法，用于检测、监测和非侵入性治疗早期乳腺癌。恶性乳腺组织与正常乳腺组织之间固有的介电特性对比为利用微波对恶性病变进行高灵敏度检测提供了基础。其目标是：1)开发利用介电特性对比度检测和监测恶性病变的健壮的时空信号处理算法；2)开发用于恶性乳腺病变的无创微波热疗的空时信号处理算法；3)使用解剖学上逼真的数字乳腺模型来研究该方法在早期癌症检测、监测和治疗中的性能；4)开发真实的物理乳腺模型和临床前硬件原型仪器；以及5)在合成乳房模型和体外乳腺组织成像实验中，研究该方法用于乳腺癌检测的性能。建议的方法提供了一种易于使用、低成本、舒适、非电离的乳房筛查技术的潜力，能够降低与传统X光乳房X光检查相关的假阴性和假阳性的比率。该治疗方案将使乳腺癌女性患者的并发症、不适和侵入性手术的必要性降至最低。

0201880HagnessUnder this Investigator Initiated Award, studies will be preformed to develop an ultrawideband microwave imaging method for detection, monitoring and noninvasive treatment of early-stage breast cancer. The intrinsic dielectric-properties contrast between malignant and normal breast tissue provides the basis for highly sensitive detection of malignant lesions using microwaves. The objectives are to: 1) develop robust space-time signal processing algorithms that exploit the dielectric-properties contrast for the detection and monitoring of malignant lesions, 2) develop space-time signal-processing algorithms for non-invasive microwave hyperthermia treatment of malignant breast lesions, 3) investigate the performance of the approach for early-stage cancer detection, monitoring, and treatment using anatomically realistic numerical breast models, 4) develop realistic physical breast phantoms and pre-clinical hardware prototype instrumentation, and 5) investigate the performance of the approach for breast cancer detection using the pre-clinical instrument in both synthetic breast phantom and ex vivo breast tissue imaging experiments. The proposed approach offers the potential of a easy-to-use, low cost, comfortable, non-ionizing breast screening technology capable of reducing the rate of false negatives and false positives associated with conventional X-ray mammography. The treatment protocol will minimize the complications, discomfort, and need for invasive procedures for women with breast cancer.