Probe for diagnosing breast cancer

Abstract

A probe according to the present invention comprises: a main body unit including a grip unit having a gun type shape; a display coupled to the upper end of the main body unit; an optical module which is coupled to the lower end portion of the main body unit, outputs incident light having at least one wavelength in a near-infrared region with respect to an object, and detects output light outputted from the object; and a control unit which is included in the main body unit and controls the operation of the display and the optical module.

Description

Probe for breast cancer diagnosis

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe of a breast cancer diagnosis device.

[0002] Early diagnosis and treatment of disease are crucial for leading a healthy life. Among various diseases, cancer is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition, and interest in its early diagnosis and treatment is growing.

[0003] Meanwhile, among women, breast cancer has the highest incidence rate among cancers such as breast, thyroid, stomach, colon, and lung. Therefore, there is growing interest in finding effective methods for early diagnosis and effective treatment of breast cancer. Conventional techniques for diagnosing breast cancer include mammography, breast ultrasound, and breast MRI, which use X-rays to detect lesions within the breast.

[0004] However, mammography has the problem of being difficult to screen for cancer from breast tissue because the difference in X-ray absorption rates between breast tissue and cancer is very small, and there are problems such as pain due to compression of the breast during the scan and exposure to radiation during the examination.

[0005] Furthermore, breast ultrasound is expensive, and it is difficult to clearly distinguish between breast and benign tumors based on ultrasound images alone. Results vary depending on the examiner's skill. Breast MRI is also expensive and has low specificity, sometimes leading to benign tumors being classified as cancer.

[0006] To solve these problems, a method for diagnosing breast cancer is known by analyzing chromophore substances in the tissues inside the breast using near-infrared wavelengths.

[0007] For example, Korean Patent No. 10-2444393 (Title: Breast Cancer Diagnosis System) held by the applicant of the present invention discloses a system for diagnosing breast cancer by irradiating multiple wavelengths in the near-infrared region and using the output light from the target object.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a probe capable of outputting incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to a target object and detecting the output light output from the target object.

[0009] The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0010] As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical task, a probe according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body including a gripping portion having a gun type shape; a display coupled to an upper end of the main body; an optical module coupled to a lower end of the main body and outputting incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to a target object and detecting output light output from the target object; and a control unit included in the main body and controlling operations of the display and the optical module.

[0011] According to the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the probe of the present invention displays the scan progress status through a display, so that a user can easily check the scan progress status without having to refer to the information displayed on the breast cancer diagnosis device.

[0012] Figure 1 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing a probe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing one embodiment of the probe illustrated in Figure 1.

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the probe illustrated in Figure 2.

[0015] Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing the configuration of the optical module illustrated in Figure 3.

[0016] Figures 5 to 9 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the operation of the probe.

[0017] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail to facilitate easy implementation by those skilled in the art. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity, and similar reference numerals have been used throughout the specification to indicate similar elements.

[0018] Throughout this specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected" but also cases where it is "electrically connected" with another element in between.

[0019] Throughout this specification, when it is said that an element is “on” another element, this includes not only cases where the element is in contact with the other element, but also cases where another element exists between the two elements.

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings and the following description. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification.

[0021] Hereinafter, the configuration of a breast cancer diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0022] Figure 1 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing a probe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, the probe (100) of the present invention is a device that is connected to a breast cancer diagnosis device (200) and acquires information about a target object for breast cancer diagnosis. The probe (100) outputs incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to the target object, and receives and processes the output light output from the target object.

[0024] Fig. 2 is an example diagram of the probe illustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the probe illustrated in Fig. 2. The probe (100) will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

[0025] The probe (100) includes a main body (110), a display (120), an optical module (130), a control unit (140), and a communication module (150).

[0026] The main body (110) is formed with a grip portion (111) in a gun-type shape so that the user can grip it, and a display (120) is coupled to the upper end. The grip portion (111) includes a distal side (112) and a proximal side (113) connecting the lower end to the upper end, wherein the distal side (112) comes into contact with the user's finger and is coupled with at least one operation button, and the proximal side (113) comes into contact with the user's palm.

[0027] The display (120) is connected to the main body (110) in a structure that is elevated at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal plane. This structure allows the user to easily check the information displayed on the display (120) while holding the probe (100). In addition, the scan progress status can be easily checked based only on the information displayed on the display (120), without having to refer to the information displayed on the display (210) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (200).

[0028] The optical module (130) is coupled to the lower end of the main body (110), outputs incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to the target object, and detects the output light output from the target object. In addition, the control unit (150) is built into the main body (110) and controls the operation of the display (120) and the optical module (130).

[0029] Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the optical module illustrated in Fig. 2. The optical module (130) will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 4.

[0030] The optical module (130) includes a contact surface (131) having a predetermined area, a light irradiation unit (132), and a light detection unit (133). The light irradiation unit (132) includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (134) arranged horizontally on the contact surface (131), and the light detection unit (133) includes a plurality of light-receiving elements (135) arranged at a predetermined distance from each light-emitting element (134) on the contact surface (131).

[0031] The optical module (130) includes a plurality of channel signal processing units (136) each composed of at least one light-emitting element (134) and a light-receiving element (135). The channel signal processing units (136) may be arranged in N units (N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) and include optical element pairs composed of at least one light-emitting element (134) and a light-receiving element (135). The channel signal processing unit (136) sequentially irradiates light of a plurality of wavelengths in the near-infrared region to a target object through the light-emitting elements (134) and processes the measured values ​​(hereinafter referred to as “optical data”) of the output light output from the target object according to the irradiation of the light through the light-receiving elements (135). At this time, the near-infrared light incident on the target object may be reflected, absorbed, or scattered by biological tissue, and by analyzing the output light from the target object, the reflection, absorption, or scattering state in the biological tissue, etc. may be analyzed.

[0032] The light-emitting element (134) may be configured to include a light-emitting element such as a laser diode (LD), a light emitting diode (LED), or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) that can output incident light having different wavelengths within the near infrared ray region.

[0033] For example, the light emitting element (134) may be configured to output light classified into eight types according to the length of the wavelength. At this time, if one light output element constituting the light emitting element (134) can output light having eight types of wavelengths, the light emitting element (134) may be configured as one light output element. In addition, if one light output element constituting the light emitting element (134) can output light having four types of wavelengths, the light emitting element (134) may be configured as two light output elements each of which outputs light having a different wavelength.

[0034] Meanwhile, the number of types of incident light by wavelength output by the light-emitting element (134) can be determined based on the number of types of chromophore materials present inside the breast. Since chromophore materials effectively absorb light having a wavelength of a specific length depending on their type, by irradiating the breast with incident light having a wavelength effectively absorbed by each chromophore material and collecting and analyzing the output light, the concentration of each type of chromophore material present inside the breast can be measured.

[0035] The light receiving element (135) may be configured to include a light collecting element such as a photodiode, a photo transistor, a photo multiplier tube (PMT), a photo cell, etc., which can receive light and collect light data. The light data of the output light collected by the light receiving element (135) is transmitted to the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) through the control unit (150) so that the concentration of the chromophore material is calculated, and is used to produce a chromophore image for the concentration of the chromophore material.

[0036] The light-emitting element (134) and the light-receiving element (135) are installed so as to be exposed to the contact surface (131) of the probe (100) that comes into contact with a target object such as a breast, so that the light-emitting element (134) and the light-receiving element (135) can come into contact with the target object. At this time, the penetration depth of the near-infrared light can be adjusted by the separation distance between the light-emitting element (134) and the light-receiving element (135), and accordingly, the measurement depth in the measurement target can be adjusted.

[0037] For example, the penetration depth of near-infrared light is about half the separation distance. Therefore, by setting an appropriate separation distance for the light-emitting element (134) and the light-receiving element (135), an optimal measurement depth can be set. In addition, the light-emitting element (134) emits near-infrared light at different times for each wavelength, and accordingly, the light-receiving element (135) collects optical data for different wavelengths from the target object, which may include information about the wavelength, intensity, etc. of the output light.

[0038] The optical module (130) may include a plurality of channel signal processing units (136) including optical element pairs composed of at least one light-emitting element (134) and a light-receiving element (135), and may include a channel signal processing group in which the plurality of channel signal processing units (136) are arranged in a horizontal direction. In addition, the optical module (130) may have a plurality of channel signal processing groups that receive output light for different areas of the target object arranged adjacent to each other so that optical data for a predetermined area of ​​the breast can be acquired through a single measurement. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the optical module (330) may have a plurality of channel signal processing units (136) arranged in rows on one surface to form a channel signal processing group, and the plurality of channel signal processing groups may also be arranged in a plurality of columns in this manner.

[0039] In addition, the optical module (130) may further include a plurality of proximity sensors (137) and a plurality of pressure sensors (138). The proximity sensor (137) is arranged adjacent to an edge of the contact surface (131) and can detect a case where the contact surface (131) is not in close contact with the skin. The pressure sensor (138) is arranged in an outer region of the light-emitting element (134) or the light-receiving element (135) on the contact surface (131), and when arranged in an outer region of the light-emitting element (134), is arranged so as not to interfere with the output light output from the light-emitting element (134). The pressure sensor (138) can detect a case where a predetermined pressure is not applied during the scanning process.

[0040] The control unit (140) can detect a case where the device is not in close contact with the skin or a predetermined pressure is not applied during the scanning process through a plurality of proximity sensors (137) and a plurality of pressure sensors (138).

[0041] Next, the control unit (140) will be described. The control unit (140) displays a user UI (141) that outputs the operating status of the probe (100) or the scanning process of optical data through the optical module (130) on the display (120), and displays the operating status of the probe (100) through the user UI (141).

[0042] The operation of the control unit (140) will be described as an example with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 5, the control unit (140) can display the connection status between the probe (100) and the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) on the user UI (141). Through the user UI (141), it can be displayed whether the communication connection is maintained or disconnected.

[0044] In addition, referring to FIG. 6, the control unit (140) can display whether there is an abnormality in the sensing operation of the optical module (130) on the user UI (141). Specifically, referring to FIG. 7, when the optical module (130) of the probe (100) is in close contact with the phantom (220) coupled to the breast cancer diagnosis device (200), the control unit (140) controls the optical module (130) to output incident light to the phantom (220), and when the optical module (130) receives the output light output by the phantom (220), the control unit (140) determines whether the received output light is sensed to be greater than a threshold value and displays the result on the user UI (141).

[0045] In addition, the control unit (140) can display whether the output light is sensed to be above the threshold value for each channel signal processing unit (136). Fig. 6 shows a case where the optical module (130) includes five channel signal processing units (136), and it is possible to determine whether or not each channel signal processing unit (136) is abnormal through each status information (142) corresponding to the channel signal processing unit (136). If it is lit in green, it means that the intensity of the output light is received above the threshold value, and if it is lit in red, it can be determined that the intensity of the output light is received below the threshold value.

[0046] In addition, referring to FIG. 8, the control unit (140) can display the acquisition status of unit scan data through the optical module (130) on the user UI (141).

[0047] The control unit (140) acquires N unit scan data corresponding to the number of scans of the multiple channel signal processing units (136) of the optical module (130) as the probe (100) is moved in the vertical direction and scanned N times by the optical module (130), and can display the acquisition status (143) of the unit scan data through the user UI (141).

[0048] FIG. 8 illustrates a case where an optical module (130) includes five channel signal processing units (136). The control unit (140) can display five coordinates (143) corresponding to the five channel signal processing units (136) on the user UI (141) and indicate whether optical data is collected for each coordinate (143). Here, each coordinate (143) can include coordinate information of a position where each channel signal processing unit (136) of the optical module (130) comes into contact. In the case of FIG. 8, it means that unit scan data has been acquired up to the third row, and thereafter, the probe (100) is moved to a position corresponding to the fourth row to perform an operation of acquiring unit scan data.

[0049] In addition, when an abnormality is detected through a plurality of proximity sensors (137) and a plurality of pressure sensors (138), the control unit (140) can display the abnormal situation through a user UI (141) as shown in FIG. 9.

[0050] In addition, the control unit (140) can transmit information about the operating status of the probe (100) displayed on the user UI (141) or the scanning process using the optical module (130) to the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) in order to synchronize the information with the breast cancer diagnosis device (200). At this time, the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) can output the information received from the control unit (140) to the display (210) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (200).

[0051] In addition, the probe (100) is connected to the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) via a communication module (150) in a wired or wireless communication manner, so as to receive a control signal from the breast cancer diagnosis device (200) and transmit data on output light for each wavelength to the breast cancer diagnosis device (200).

[0052] When connected to a breast cancer diagnosis device (200) via wired communication, the probe (100) may further include a communication cable (160) provided on one side of the upper end of the main body (110) for wired communication with the breast cancer diagnosis device (200). The communication cable (160) may be coupled in a direction extending outward from the grip portion (111) of the main body (110). This prevents contact with the body of the subject. In addition, the communication cable (160) may be coupled to one side of the upper end of the main body (110) in a detachable manner.

[0053] Additionally, the probe (100) may further be equipped with a notification unit, such as a blinking LED or a liquid crystal display, on the outer housing of the main body. The notification unit performs a function of informing the user of the operating status of the probe (100), for example, when the probe (100) completes collecting optical data from a target object, the user may be informed of the completion of optical data collection by the near-infrared probe (100) by blinking the blinking LED or displaying information regarding the completion of optical data collection on the liquid crystal display.

[0054] The method for diagnosing breast cancer according to one embodiment of the present invention may also be implemented in the form of a recording medium containing computer-executable instructions, such as program modules executed by a computer. Computer-readable media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer, and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. Computer-readable media may also include computer storage media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Although the methods and systems of the present invention have been described with respect to specific embodiments, some or all of their components or operations may be implemented using a computer system having a general-purpose hardware architecture.

[0055] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0056] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

[0057] [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 100: Probe

[0059] 110: Main body

[0060] 120: Display

[0061] 130: Optical module

[0062] 140: Control Unit

[0063] 150: Communication module

[0064] 160: Communication cable

[0065] 200: Breast cancer diagnostic device

[0066] 210: Display

Claims

1. In a probe for diagnosing breast cancer, A main body including a grip section having a gun type shape; A display coupled to the upper end of the main body; An optical module coupled to the lower end of the main body, outputting incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to the target object, and detecting output light output from the target object; and A probe comprising a control unit included in the main body and controlling the operation of the display and the optical module.

2. In paragraph 1, Including additional communication modules, The above control unit, A probe that processes a control command received from the breast cancer diagnosis device or transmits data on the output light to the breast cancer diagnosis device while the breast cancer diagnosis device and the probe are in communication connection through the communication module.

3. In paragraph 2, The above communication module is a probe that supports wired communication or wireless communication.

4. In paragraph 1, Further comprising a communication cable connected to one side of the upper end of the main body for wired communication connection with a breast cancer diagnosis device, The above communication cable is a probe that is coupled in a direction extending outward from the above-mentioned phasing portion.

5. In paragraph 4, The above communication cable, A probe that is connected to one side of the upper end of the main body so as to be detachable 6. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned part is, Including a distal side and a proximal side connecting the upper end from the lower end, The above distal side is in contact with the user's finger and is coupled with at least one action button, The above proximal side is a probe that comes into contact with the user's palm.

7. In paragraph 1, The above optical module A contact surface having a given area; a light emitting unit including at least one light emitting element arranged in a horizontal direction on the contact surface; and A probe comprising a light detection unit including at least one light-receiving element arranged at a predetermined distance from each of the light-emitting elements on the contact surface.

8. In paragraph 7, The above optical module, A probe comprising at least one proximity sensor positioned adjacent to an edge of a contact surface.

9. In paragraph 7, The above optical module, A probe comprising at least one pressure sensor arranged in an area of ​​a contact surface.

10. In paragraph 9, The above pressure sensor, A probe arranged on the outer region of the light-emitting element or the light-receiving element at the contact surface so as not to interfere with the output light output from the light-emitting element.

11. In paragraph 1, The above display is a probe that is combined with a structure that is raised to have a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

12. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, A probe that displays a user UI that indicates the operating status of the probe or the scanning process using the optical module on the display.

13. In paragraph 12, The above control unit, The above user UI displays the status of the communication connection between the probe and the breast cancer diagnosis device. Probe.

14. In paragraph 12, The above control unit, A probe that displays a status check operation of the probe through the user UI, outputs incident light through the optical module for a phantom coupled to a breast cancer diagnosis device, and displays whether the emitted light output from the phantom is sensed to be above a threshold value.

15. In paragraph 14, The above optical module, Contains a plurality of pairs of photodiodes including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, The above control unit, A probe that displays, through the user UI, whether the output light of each optical element pair is sensed to be above a threshold value.

16. In paragraph 12, The above optical module, A photodiode comprising a plurality of light element pairs including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and comprising at least one group of light element pairs arranged in a horizontal direction, The above control unit, As the probe is moved in the vertical direction and scanned N times, N unit scan data corresponding to the number of scans of the optical element pair group are acquired, A probe that displays the acquisition status of the unit scan data through the user UI.

17. In paragraph 12, The above control unit, A probe that transmits information about the operation status of the probe or the scanning process using the optical module displayed through the user UI to a breast cancer diagnosis device, thereby synchronizing information displayed on the display of the breast cancer diagnosis device.

Images