Microwave Imaging for Monitoring Patients Post-Radiation Treatment: an initial investigation

摘要

In this preliminary study, we investigate how changes in breast tissue due to treatment can be quantified using microwave signals, images, and property estimates. Microwave scans of treated and healthy breasts from a group of cancer patients before and after radiation treatment are compared. Images of the treated breasts generally had an increase in permittivity after treatment, while the healthy breast remained relatively constant over the timeframe. In a case study, the permittivity estimated at various microwave sensor pairs was generally higher for the treated breast compared to the healthy breast, however changes were small in the reported patient. For this example, the signal correlation between scans was high and similar for both the treated and the healthy scan. For the same patient, image correlation highlighted differences between the baseline and follow-up scans, suggesting that image correlation may be a better metric for quantifying changes.