ITEE Innovation Expo 2008 : Project Details

Microwave Imaging Radar System for Breast Cancer Detection

Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women. The only way to ensure survival of patients is through early detection and effective treatments. X-ray screening mammography is currently the main method of detection of abnormalities in the breast, and with assistance of other methods such as MRI and ultrasound, a diagnosis can then be made. However, limitations such as exposure to ionising radiation and high percentage of false negatives and false positives have been associated with the use of X-ray mammography. These factors have lead to the development of a new breast cancer detection method.

The alternative method proposed is the use of a microwave imaging radar system for the detection of malignant tumour inside the breast. This is built upon the underlying principle that the difference in dielectric properties between normal breast tissue and malignant tissue could be picked up by through a microwave antenna. The main advantage of using a microwave imaging radar system is that it does not have high exposure of ionising radiation, as only low levels of microwave energy is released during operation. Added benefits also include the low cost of microwave hardware compared to MRI systems, fast detection procedures and no discomfort caused by the compression of the breast in x-ray mammogram.

The University of Queensland has already developed a microwave imagining technique; however at the current stage this process involves manual scanning. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to create an automated process of the microwave imaging system for detection of breast cancer. The scanning system contains a vertical axis where the antenna is situated and a rotational turntable for the simulated breast phantom to be examined. These two axes are controlled by using a motion controller through Visual Basic programming language. A fully automated process was accomplished allowing precise and repeatable scanning procedure in a reduced time. This is a considerable step forward for the breast cancer detection system by making the scanning process fully automated.