In-vivo imaging of breast cancer with ultrasound tomography: probing the tumor environment

Nebojsa Duric; Peter Littrup; Erik West; Bryan Ranger; Cuiping Li; Steven Schmidt

doi:10.1117/12.878939

25 March 2011 In-vivo imaging of breast cancer with ultrasound tomography: probing the tumor environment

Nebojsa Duric, Peter Littrup, Erik West, Bryan Ranger, Cuiping Li, Steven Schmidt

Proceedings Volume 7968, Medical Imaging 2011: Ultrasonic Imaging, Tomography, and Therapy; 796812 (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878939
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2011, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), Florida, United States

Abstract

We report on the use of ultrasound tomography (UST) to characterize breast cancer and study the local and distant tumor environments. We have imaged the tumor and its environment in 3 cases of breast cancer using a UST prototype and its associated image reconstruction algorithms. After generating images of reflection, sound speed and attenuation, the images were fused in combinations that allowed visualization and characterization of the interior of the tumor as well as the tissue immediate to the tumor and beyond. The reflection UST images demonstrated the presence of spiculation, and architectural distortion, indicators of both local tumor invasion and distant involvement with surrounding tissues. Furthermore, the sound speed images showed halos of elevated sound speed surrounding the tumors, indicating a local environment characterized by stiff tissues. The combination of sound speed and attenuation images revealed that the tumor interiors were the stiffest tissues in the region studied. These features and characteristics are commensurate with the known biomechanical properties of cancer and may be manifestations of the desmoplastic process that is associated with tumor invasion. We propose that UST imaging may prove to be a valuable tool for characterizing cancers and studying the tumor invasion process.

Citation Download Citation

Nebojsa Duric, Peter Littrup, Erik West, Bryan Ranger, Cuiping Li, and Steven Schmidt "In-vivo imaging of breast cancer with ultrasound tomography: probing the tumor environment", Proc. SPIE 7968, Medical Imaging 2011: Ultrasonic Imaging, Tomography, and Therapy, 796812 (25 March 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.878939

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