Breast cancer diagnosis apparatus

Abstract

A breast cancer diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention includes: a main body frame; a display coupled to the upper side of the main body frame; an input device unit disposed, adjacent to the display, in the central portion of the main body frame and including a keyboard and a near-infrared probe; a control unit which is embedded in the central part of the main body frame and controls the operation of the display, the keyboard, and the near-infrared probe; and a transport means coupled to the lower side of the main body frame. The near-infrared probe outputs incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to an object and receives and processes output light output from the object. The control unit displays a scanning process of the near-infrared probe on the user UI displayed on the display, calculates the concentration of each chromophore material in the object on the basis of the output light, and outputs a chromophore image showing the distribution of the calculated value of the concentration of each of the chromophore materials.

Description

Breast cancer diagnostic device

[0001] The present invention relates to 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 breast cancer diagnosis device capable of outputting a chromophore image representing the ratio between the concentration of a chromophore material in a contrast scan area and the concentration of a chromophore material in a diagnosis target scan area.

[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 technical task, a breast cancer diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a main body frame; a display coupled to an upper side of the main body frame; an input device unit disposed adjacent to the display in a central portion of the main body frame and including a keyboard and a near-infrared probe; a control unit built into the central portion of the main body frame and controlling operations of the display, the keyboard, and the near-infrared probe; and a moving means coupled to a lower side of the main body frame, wherein the near-infrared probe outputs incident light of at least one wavelength in the near-infrared region to a target object and receives and processes the output light output from the target object, and the control unit displays a scanning process of the near-infrared probe on a user UI displayed on the display, calculates the concentration of a chromophore substance of the target object for each chromophore substance based on the output light, and outputs a chromophore image representing a distribution of the concentration values ​​of each calculated chromophore substance.

[0011] According to the above-described problem-solving means of the present invention, the breast cancer diagnosis device according to the present invention provides a chromophore image representing the ratio between the concentration of a chromophore substance included in the output light collected through a scan of a diagnosis area and the output light collected through a scan of a control area, thereby providing an effect of easily diagnosing breast cancer.

[0012] Figure 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a breast cancer diagnosis device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a breast cancer diagnosis device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram showing one embodiment of the near-infrared probe illustrated in Figure 1.

[0015] Figure 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the near-infrared probe illustrated in Figure 3.

[0016] Figure 5 is an exemplary diagram schematically showing the configuration of the optical module illustrated in Figure 4.

[0017] Figures 6 to 10 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the operation of a near-infrared probe.

[0018] Figure 11 is an example diagram of a shooting guide interface.

[0019] Figure 12 is an example diagram of a scanning guide interface.

[0020] Figure 13 is an example diagram of a diagnostic interface.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] Hereinafter, the configuration of a breast cancer diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a breast cancer diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a breast cancer diagnosis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000) of the present invention includes a main body frame (100), a display (200), an input device (500), a control unit (600), and a moving means (700).

[0028] The display (200) is coupled to the upper side of the main body frame (100). The input device unit (500) is positioned adjacent to the display (200) in the central portion of the main body frame (100) and includes a near-infrared probe (300) and a keyboard (400). Here, the near-infrared probe (300) 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.

[0029] In addition, the control unit (600) is built into the central portion of the main body frame (100) and controls the operation of the display (200), the near-infrared probe (300), and the keyboard (400). In addition, the control unit (600) displays the scanning process of the near-infrared probe (300) on the user UI displayed on the display (200), calculates the concentration of the chromophore material of the target object for each chromophore material based on the output light, and outputs a chromophore image representing the distribution of the concentration value for each calculated chromophore material.

[0030] Fig. 3 is an exemplary diagram of the near-infrared probe illustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the near-infrared probe illustrated in Fig. 3. The near-infrared probe (300) will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the near-infrared probe (300) includes a main body (310), an auxiliary display (320), an optical module (330), an auxiliary control unit (340), and a communication module (350).

[0032] The main body (310) is formed with a grip portion (311) in a gun-type shape so that the user can grip it, and an auxiliary display (320) is coupled to the upper end. The grip portion (311) includes a distal side (312) and a proximal side (313) connecting the lower end to the upper end, wherein the distal side (312) comes into contact with the user's finger and is coupled with at least one operation button, and the proximal side (313) comes into contact with the user's palm.

[0033] In addition, the auxiliary display (320) is connected to the main body (310) in a structure that is raised at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal plane. With this structure, the user can easily check the information displayed on the auxiliary display (320) while holding the near-infrared probe (300). In addition, the scan progress status can be easily checked only with the information displayed on the auxiliary display (320), without referring to the information displayed on the display (200) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000).

[0034] The optical module (330) is coupled to the lower end of the main body (310), 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 auxiliary control unit (340) is built into the main body (310) and controls the operation of the auxiliary display (320) and the optical module (330).

[0035] Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of the optical module illustrated in Fig. 3. The optical module (330) will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 5.

[0036] The optical module (330) includes a contact surface (331) having a predetermined area, a light irradiation unit (332), and a light detection unit (333). The light irradiation unit (332) includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (334) arranged horizontally on the contact surface (331), and the light detection unit (333) includes a plurality of light-receiving elements (335) arranged at a predetermined distance from each light-emitting element (334) on the contact surface (331).

[0037] The optical module (330) includes a plurality of channel signal processing units (336) each composed of at least one light-emitting element (334) and a light-receiving element (335). The channel signal processing units (336) 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 (334) and a light-receiving element (335). The channel signal processing unit (336) sequentially irradiates light of a plurality of wavelengths in the near-infrared region to a target object through the light-emitting element (334) 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 element (335). At this time, the near-infrared light incident on the target object may be reflected, absorbed, or scattered by the 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.

[0038] The light-emitting element (334) 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.

[0039] For example, the light emitting element (334) 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 (334) can output light having eight types of wavelengths, the light emitting element (334) may be configured as one light output element. In addition, if one light output element constituting the light emitting element (334) can output light having four types of wavelengths, the light emitting element (334) may be configured as two light output elements each of which outputs light having a different wavelength.

[0040] Meanwhile, the number of types of incident light by wavelength output by the light-emitting element (334) 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 the 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.

[0041] The light receiving element (335) 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 (335) is transmitted to the control unit (500) through the auxiliary control unit (340) 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.

[0042] The light-emitting element (334) and the light-receiving element (335) are installed so as to be exposed to the contact surface (331) of the near-infrared probe (300) that comes into contact with a target object such as a breast, so that the light-emitting element (334) and the light-receiving element (335) 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 (334) and the light-receiving element (335), and accordingly, the measurement depth in the measurement target can be adjusted.

[0043] 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-receiving element (335) and the light-emitting element (334), an optimal measurement depth can be set. In addition, the light-emitting element (334) emits near-infrared light at different times for each wavelength, and accordingly, the light-receiving element (335) collects optical data for different wavelengths from the target object, which may include information about the wavelength, intensity, etc. of the output light.

[0044] The optical module (330) may include a plurality of channel signal processing units (336) including optical element pairs composed of at least one light-emitting element (334) and a light-receiving element (335), and may include a channel signal processing group in which the plurality of channel signal processing units (336) are arranged in a horizontal direction. In addition, the optical module (330) 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. 5, the optical module (330) may have a plurality of channel signal processing units (336) arranged in rows on one surface to form a channel signal processing group, and the plurality of channel signal processing groups may be arranged in a plurality of columns in this manner.

[0045] In addition, the optical module (330) may further include a plurality of proximity sensors (337) and a plurality of pressure sensors (338). The proximity sensor (337) is arranged adjacent to an edge of the contact surface (331) and can detect a case where the contact surface (331) is not in close contact with the skin. The pressure sensor (338) is arranged in an outer region of the light-emitting element (334) or the light-receiving element (335) on the contact surface (331), and when arranged in an outer region of the light-emitting element (334), is arranged so as not to interfere with the output light output from the light-emitting element (334). The pressure sensor (338) can detect a case where a predetermined pressure is not applied during the scanning process.

[0046] Next, the operation of the auxiliary control unit (340) will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0047] The auxiliary control unit (340) displays a user UI (341) that outputs the operation status of the near-infrared probe (300) or the scanning process of optical data through the optical module (330) on the auxiliary display (320), and displays the operation status of the near-infrared probe (300) through the user UI (341).

[0048] The operation of the auxiliary control unit (340) will be described with an example.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 6, the auxiliary control unit (340) can display the connection status between the near-infrared probe (300) and the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000) on the user UI (341). Through the user UI (341), it can be displayed whether the communication connection is maintained or disconnected.

[0050] In addition, referring to FIG. 7, the auxiliary control unit (340) can display whether there is an abnormality in the sensing operation of the optical module (330) on the user UI (341). Specifically, referring to FIG. 8, when the optical module (330) of the near-infrared probe (300) is brought into close contact with the phantom (800) coupled to the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000), the auxiliary control unit (340) controls the optical module (330) to output incident light to the phantom (800), and when the optical module (330) receives the output light output by the phantom (800), the auxiliary control unit (340) determines whether the received output light is sensed to be greater than a threshold value and displays the result on the user UI (341).

[0051] In addition, the auxiliary control unit (340) can indicate whether the output light is sensed to be above a threshold value for each channel signal processing unit (336). Referring to FIG. 7, when the optical module (330) includes five channel signal processing units (336), it is possible to determine whether or not each channel signal processing unit (336) is abnormal through each status information (342) corresponding to the channel signal processing unit (336). If it is lit in green, it means that the intensity of the output light is received above a 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.

[0052] In addition, referring to FIG. 9, the auxiliary control unit (340) can display the acquisition status of unit scan data through the optical module (330) on the user UI (341).

[0053] The auxiliary control unit (340) acquires N unit scan data corresponding to the number of scans of the multiple channel signal processing units (336) of the optical module (330) as the near-infrared probe (300) is moved in the vertical direction and scanned N times by the optical module (330), and can display the acquisition status (343) of the unit scan data through the user UI (341).

[0054] FIG. 9 illustrates a case where an optical module (330) includes five channel signal processing units (336). The auxiliary control unit (340) can display five coordinates (343) corresponding to the five channel signal processing units (336) on the user UI (341) and indicate whether optical data is collected for each coordinate (343). Here, each coordinate (343) can include coordinate information of a position where each channel signal processing unit (336) of the optical module (330) comes into contact. In the case of FIG. 9, it means that unit scan data has been acquired up to the third row, and thereafter, the near-infrared probe (300) is moved to a position corresponding to the fourth row to perform an operation of acquiring unit scan data.

[0055] In addition, if an abnormal situation is detected in which the contact surface (331) 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 (337) and a plurality of pressure sensors (338), the auxiliary control unit (340) can display the abnormal situation through the user UI (341) as shown in FIG. 10.

[0056] In addition, the auxiliary control unit (340) can transmit information about the operating status of the near-infrared probe (300) displayed on the user UI (341) or the scanning process using the optical module (330) to the control unit (600) in order to synchronize the information with the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000). At this time, the control unit (600) can output the information received from the auxiliary control unit (340) to the display (200) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000).

[0057] In addition, the near-infrared probe (300) is connected to the control unit (600) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000) via a communication module (350) in a wired or wireless communication manner, so as to receive a control signal from the control unit (600) and transmit data on the output light for each wavelength to the control unit (600).

[0058] When connected to the control unit (600) of the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000) via wired communication, the near-infrared probe (300) may be provided on one side of the upper end of the main body (310) and may further include a communication cable (360) for wired communication with the breast cancer diagnosis device (1000). The communication cable (360) may be coupled in a direction extending outward from the grip unit (311) of the main body (310). This prevents contact with the body of the subject. In addition, the communication cable (360) may be coupled to one side of the upper end of the main body (310) in a detachable manner.

[0059] Additionally, the near-infrared probe (300) 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 near-infrared probe (300), for example, when the near-infrared probe (300) completes collecting optical data from a target object, the notification unit may notify the user of the completion of optical data collection by blinking the blinking LED or displaying information about the completion of optical data collection on the liquid crystal display.

[0060] Fig. 11 is an example diagram of a shooting guide interface, Fig. 12 is an example diagram of a scanning guide interface, and Fig. 13 is an example diagram of a diagnostic interface. Referring to Figs. 11 to 13, an operation of a control unit (600) displaying a scanning process of a near-infrared probe (300) and outputting a chromophore image based on the output light received from the near-infrared probe (300) is described.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 11, when a scanning operation for scanning a target object through a near-infrared probe (300) starts, the control unit (600) outputs a shooting guide interface (610) indicating a left chest area and a right chest area on the display (200), and displays a diagnosis target scan area (611) and a control scan area (612) on the shooting guide interface (610). The diagnosis target scan area (611) is an area corresponding to an area of ​​interest set by a user, and the control scan area (612) is an area to be compared among the chest areas facing the diagnosis target scan area (611).

[0062] At this time, the control unit (600) can output a scanning guide interface indicating the status of acquiring unit scan data of the near-infrared probe (300) in the diagnostic target scan area (611) or the control scan area (612).

[0063] Referring to FIG. 12, the control unit (600) acquires N number of unit scan data corresponding to the number of scans of the multiple channel signal processing units (336) of the near-infrared probe (300) as the near-infrared probe (300) is moved in the vertical direction and scanned N times, and can display the acquisition status (621) of the unit scan data through the scanning guide interface (620). Here, the acquisition status (621) of the unit scan data displayed on the scanning guide interface (620) may be information synchronized from the auxiliary control unit (340) of the near-infrared probe (300).

[0064] The control unit (600) calculates the concentration of each of the plurality of chromophore materials for the diagnosis target scan area and the control scan area using the unit scan data acquired in this way. The breast cancer diagnosis program analyzes the unit scan data acquired from the near-infrared probe (300) to calculate the absorption coefficient and the scattering coefficient, and quantitatively calculates the concentration of the chromophore material using the absorption coefficient and the scattering coefficient. Here, the breast cancer diagnosis program can calculate the concentration of the chromophore material of the target by inputting the wavelength-specific measurement values ​​of the output light into a machine-learned learning model based on training data in which the wavelength-specific measurement values ​​of light and the concentrations of the plurality of chromophore materials are respectively matched.

[0065] Thereafter, the control unit (600) generates a first chromophore image representing the ratio of the concentration values ​​of the chromophore material in the diagnosis area (Lesion) and the control area (Normal) based on the concentration of the produced chromophore material, and outputs the image to the display (200). The first chromophore image may be generated based on a value obtained by dividing the concentration value of the chromophore material in the control scan area by the concentration value of the chromophore material in the diagnosis target scan area, or conversely, may be generated based on a value obtained by dividing the concentration value of the chromophore material in the diagnosis target scan area by the concentration value of the chromophore material in the control scan area, and this may be expressed as a breast cancer diagnosis index.

[0066] Here, examples of chromophore substances include water (H2O), lipid, oxy-hemoglobin (HbO2), deoxy-hemoglobin (HHb), total hemoglobin (THC), and oxygen saturation (StO2).

[0067] The breast cancer diagnostic index represents the concentration ratio of the lesion area (diagnostic area) to the normal area (control area) based on the concentration of such chromophore substances, and can be calculated based on the ratio of the average concentration value of the chromophore substance for each of the multiple areas included in the diagnostic area and the average value of the chromophore substance for each of the multiple areas included in the control area. Examples of the breast cancer diagnostic index include the oxyhemoglobin comparison index, the deoxyhemoglobin comparison index, the water comparison index, the lipid comparison index, and the oxygen saturation comparison index, and can be calculated in the form of mathematical equation 1.

[0068] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0069]

[0070] The oxyhemoglobin comparison index, deoxyhemoglobin comparison index, water comparison index, and lipid comparison index are calculated from the concentrations of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, water, and lipid in the diagnostic and control areas, respectively. Additionally, the total hemoglobin comparison index is calculated from the total hemoglobin concentration, which is the sum of the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations.

[0071] And, the oxygen saturation comparison index is calculated by dividing the concentration value of total hemoglobin by the concentration value of oxyhemoglobin to calculate the oxygen saturation for each of the diagnostic area and the control area, and is calculated through the oxygen saturation for each of the diagnostic area and the control area.

[0072] At this time, the breast cancer diagnostic index is classified into a strong index or a weak index depending on the correlation between the calculated value and abnormal tissue (such as a malignant tumor). Specifically, the strong index indicates a strong correlation between the breast cancer diagnostic index and abnormal tissue (such as a malignant tumor). According to the test results, the oxyhemoglobin comparison index, deoxyhemoglobin comparison index, water comparison index, and total hemoglobin comparison index were analyzed to have values ​​ranging from 0.8 to 4.5 in abnormal tissue.

[0073] In addition, the correlation between the fragility index and the strength index was weaker or negative, and according to the test results, the lipid comparison index and oxygen saturation comparison index were analyzed to have values ​​of 0.8 to 1.5.

[0074] That is, among the chromophore substances, oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and water increase in value in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue due to angiogenesis, so the oxyhemoglobin comparison index, deoxyhemoglobin comparison index, and water comparison index that utilize these can be classified as strong indices, and the lipid and oxygen saturation comparison indices that decrease in value or have a small change range in tumor tissue compared to normal tissue can be classified as weak indices.

[0075] Meanwhile, theoretically, the stiffness index should exceed 1 in malignant tumor tissue, but in the process of specifying the diagnostic area, cases where normal tissue is also included in the diagnostic area inevitably occur, and errors in the actual measurement process may cause the stiffness index to not exceed 1. Similarly, the fragility index should be less than 1 in malignant tumor tissue, but cases where it exceeds 1 may occur. In this way, there is a possibility that the stiffness index or fragility index may not clearly distinguish malignant tumor tissue.

[0076] Accordingly, the control unit (400) can use the optical index (TOI: Tissue Optical Index) calculated by the operation using the stiffness index or the weakness index as a breast cancer diagnosis index. The optical index can be classified into a first optical index obtained by multiplying two or more of a plurality of stiffness indices and dividing the result by one of the weakness indices, or a second optical index obtained by dividing one of the weakness indices by a value obtained by multiplying two or more of the plurality of stiffness indices.

[0077] For example, the first optical index can be defined as the product of the total hemoglobin comparison index and the water comparison index, divided by the lipid comparison index. Since malignant tumor tissue increases hemoglobin (both oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin) and water and decreases lipids compared to normal tissue due to angiogenesis, the first optical index in malignant tumor tissue shows a value that is higher than that in normal tissue. Depending on the configuration, the first optical index is designed to be strengthened so that its value is greater than the stiffness index in malignant tumor tissue, so that malignant tumor tissue can be more clearly distinguished.

[0078] In contrast, the second optical index can be defined as the lipid comparison index divided by the product of the total hemoglobin comparison index and the water comparison index. In this case, the second optical index in malignant tumor tissue exhibits a decreased value compared to normal tissue. Depending on the configuration, the second optical index is designed to have a smaller value in malignant tumor tissue compared to the weak index, allowing for more clear identification of malignant tumor tissue.

[0079] Additionally, the breast cancer diagnosis program can generate first to third chromophore images, including an estimated image. The estimated image can be generated using an interpolation algorithm as image data corresponding to some locations where optical data was not collected. That is, the estimated image data estimated through the interpolation algorithm can be inserted into the empty space between coordinates to generate a chromophore image. Here, the interpolation algorithm can be linear interpolation, bilinear interpolation, cubic interpolation, or bicubic interpolation.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 13, the operation of the control unit (600) to output the first chromophore image is described.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 13, the control unit (600) outputs a first chromophore image (631) representing the ratio between the concentration distribution of the chromophore material in the contrast scan area and the concentration distribution of the chromophore material in the diagnosis target scan area through the diagnostic interface (630) displayed on the display (200).

[0082] In addition, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 13, the control unit (600) can display the concentration value of the chromophore material analyzed in units of output light collected by each channel signal processing unit (336) on a two-dimensional coordinate plane corresponding to the position of each channel signal processing unit (336) to generate a second chromophore image (632) representing the concentration distribution of the chromophore material for the diagnosis area and a third chromophore image (633) representing the concentration distribution of the chromophore material for the control area, and can additionally output the second chromophore image (632) and the third chromophore image (633) together with the first chromophore image (631) through the diagnosis interface (630).

[0083] Additionally, the diagnostic interface (630) may include a material selection interface (634) that allows the user to select one of multiple chromophore materials. This allows the user to select a desired chromophore material and view first to third chromophore images for the selected chromophore material. This allows the user to quickly and accurately determine a breast cancer diagnosis for the diagnostic area.

[0084] For example, the material selection interface (634) is implemented in the form of multiple tabs that display multiple chromophore materials, and when a specific tab is selected, first to third chromophore images for the chromophore materials matching the corresponding tab can be output. Meanwhile, the material selection interface (634) can be implemented in various forms of material selection interfaces in addition to the tab method. The chromophore materials displayed in the material selection interface (634) can include materials such as water (H2O), lipid, oxy-hemoglobin (HbO2), deoxy-hemoglobin (HHb), total hemoglobin (THC), and oxygen saturation (StO2).

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1000: Breast Cancer Diagnostic Device

[0090] 100: Body frame

[0091] 200: Display

[0092] 300: Near-infrared probe

[0093] 400: Keyboard

[0094] 500: Input device section

[0095] 600: Control Unit

[0096] 700: Means of transportation

[0097] 800: Phantom

Claims

1. In a breast cancer diagnosis device, body frame; A display coupled to the upper side of the above main body frame; An input device section disposed adjacent to the display in the central portion of the main body frame and including a keyboard and a near-infrared probe; A control unit built into the central portion of the main body frame and controlling the operation of the display, keyboard and near-infrared probe; and Including a moving means coupled to the lower side of the above main body frame, The above near-infrared probe, It 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. The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device that displays the scanning process of the near-infrared probe on the first user UI displayed on the display, calculates the concentration of chromophore substances for the target object for each chromophore substance based on the output light, and outputs a chromophore image showing the distribution of the concentration values ​​of each calculated chromophore substance.

2. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, The above display outputs a shooting guide interface indicating the left chest area and the right chest area, and displays a diagnostic scan area and a contrast scan area on the shooting guide interface. The above diagnostic target scan area corresponds to the area of ​​interest set by the user, A breast cancer diagnosis device, wherein the above-mentioned contrast scan area is set to an area of ​​the chest that is the target of comparison among the areas facing the above-mentioned diagnosis target scan area.

3. In paragraph 2, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device that outputs a scanning guide interface that indicates the acquisition status of unit scan data of the near-infrared probe in the diagnosis target scan area or the control scan area.

4. In paragraph 3, The above near-infrared probe, 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 above near-infrared probe is moved in the vertical direction and scanned N times, N unit scan data corresponding to the number of scans of the above optical element pair group are acquired, A breast cancer diagnosis device, which displays the acquisition status of the unit scan data through the scanning guide interface.

5. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnostic device, which outputs a chromophore image for a diagnostic scan area and a chromophore image for a control scan area through a diagnostic interface.

6. In paragraph 5, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnostic device that generates the chromophore image by displaying the concentration value of the chromophore material analyzed for each output light unit collected by each optical element pair on a two-dimensional coordinate plane corresponding to the position of each optical element pair for each unit scan data.

7. In paragraph 6, The above control unit, The concentration value of the chromophore material is displayed on a two-dimensional coordinate plane corresponding to the position of each of the above optical element pairs, A breast cancer diagnostic device in which data in the blank space between each coordinate is displayed as an estimated value through an interpolation algorithm.

8. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnostic device that generates at least one chromophore image distinguished by the chromophore substance to be analyzed.

9. In paragraph 1, The above near-infrared probe, A main body including a grip section having a gun type shape; Auxiliary 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 receiving output light output from the target object; Communication module; and A breast cancer diagnosis device, comprising an auxiliary control unit included in the main body and controlling the operation of the auxiliary display and the optical module.

10. In paragraph 9, The above near-infrared probe, 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, A breast cancer diagnosis device, which is coupled in a direction extending outward from the above-mentioned phage section.

11. In paragraph 9, The above optical module A contact surface having a given area; A light emitting unit including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a horizontal direction on the contact surface; and A breast cancer diagnosis device comprising a light detection unit including a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged at a predetermined distance from each light-emitting element on the contact surface.

12. In paragraph 9, The above auxiliary display is, A breast cancer diagnosis device, which is combined with a structure that is elevated to have a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

13. In paragraph 9, The above auxiliary control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device, wherein a second user UI is displayed on the auxiliary display to indicate the operating status of the near-infrared probe or the scanning process using the optical module.

14. In paragraph 13, The above auxiliary control unit, Displaying the status check operation of the near-infrared probe through the second user UI, A breast cancer diagnosis device, which outputs incident light through the optical module for a phantom coupled to the breast cancer diagnosis device, and indicates whether the emitted light output from the phantom is sensed to be above a threshold value.

15. In paragraph 14, The above optical module, Containing a plurality of pairs of light elements including the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device that displays whether the output light is sensed above a threshold value for each optical element pair through the second user UI.

16. In paragraph 13, The above auxiliary control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device that displays the acquisition status of unit scan data through the second user UI.

17. In paragraph 13, The above auxiliary control unit, Transmitting information about the operating status of the near-infrared probe or the scanning process using the optical module displayed through the second user UI to the breast cancer diagnosis device, The above control unit, A breast cancer diagnosis device that synchronizes information displayed on a display of the breast cancer diagnosis device based on information received from the auxiliary control unit.

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