Breast Cancer Screening Software Interface Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current breast cancer screening methods, such as mammography, are invasive, uncomfortable, and less effective for women with dense breast tissue, while thermography offers a non-invasive alternative but requires advanced visualization tools for accurate detection, which are lacking, especially in rural areas.
Innovation Solution
A software interface tool for analyzing thermal images of the breast, enabling medical professionals to identify cancerous tissue by constructing isotherm maps, extracting temperature values, and using a decision fusion rule to determine if tissue is cancerous, non-cancerous, or suspicious, with features like hotspot selection, cropping, and viewing at different angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mammography is used for breast cancer screening, then detection accuracy is improved, but patient comfort and accessibility deteriorate due to invasive procedures and high equipment cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical compression system of mammography with a thermal imaging system that detects temperature variations. The thermal camera captures infrared radiation from the breast tissue without physical contact or compression, eliminating patient discomfort while maintaining cancer detection capability through thermal anomaly analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a thermal copy or representation of the breast tissue's thermal patterns instead of using direct mechanical imaging. By capturing and analyzing thermal radiation patterns, the system produces a diagnostic image that reflects tissue characteristics without requiring physical manipulation of the tissue
2Ease of operation
If thermography is used for breast cancer screening, then patient comfort and accessibility are improved, but detection accuracy deteriorates without advanced visualization tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances 2D thermal images by constructing 3D isotherm maps that add a vertical dimension representing temperature intensity. This dimensional transformation allows medical practitioners to visualize temperature gradients and hotspots more effectively, improving detection accuracy while maintaining the non-invasive nature of thermography
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies color mapping to thermal data, where different colors represent different temperature ranges. This visual encoding transforms grayscale thermal images into color-coded representations that make hotspots and anomalies more visually distinct and easier to detect, thereby improving measurement precision without compromising patient comfort
3Device complexity
If manual analysis of thermal images is performed, then equipment cost is reduced, but productivity and detection accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated analysis algorithms that perform initial screening and anomaly detection without requiring extensive manual intervention. The system automatically processes thermal images, identifies potential cancerous regions, and generates preliminary reports, enabling healthcare facilities with limited resources to maintain high screening productivity while using cost-effective equipment
4Measurement precision
If advanced visualization software is developed, then detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the visualization software into modular functional components, each handling specific tasks such as image acquisition, preprocessing, isotherm map construction, hotspot detection, and report generation. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high detection accuracy through specialized processing while keeping individual software modules relatively simple and manageable
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates accurate and non-invasive breast cancer detection by providing a user-friendly interface for analyzing thermal images, improving detection accuracy and accessibility, especially in resource-limited settings.
Implementation Method 1
Thermal imaging captures the infra-red emissivity from the human body in the 7-10 μm wavelength range
Implementation Method 2
Thermography is an emerging alternative non-invasive and non-contact screening method for breast cancer detection
Data Source
AI summary
What is disclosed is a software interface tool for breast cancer screening that is designed for medical professionals to view and analyze suspicious regions for hot spots and hence facilitate a determination of whether identified areas of breast tissue are cancerous. Isotherm maps are constructed at designated temperature resolution. Maps are displayed on the screen. Point & click on the isotherm map can extract temperature values of pixels within the region covered by the isotherm contours. Also provided are isothermic views at different viewing angles which is advantageous for visual detection. Additional functionalities for hotspot selection, cropping, zooming, viewing at different angles, etc. are also enabled by the present software interface. The present software interface further utilizes a tumor detection method which is also disclosed herein.