Breast Mechanical Imaging - Characterisation and Optimisation of a new Method in Breast Cancer Screening

By combining clinical data from a unique patient study and state-of-the-art digital breast phantoms, I and my team will characterise and optimise an innovative imaging modality, Mechanical Imaging (MI) which provides a spatial distribution of breast stiffness, for use in breast cancer screening.Screening is the only effective method for the early detection of breast cancer.

Mammography (DM) is the gold standard, but has limitations. Critically, for each detected cancer, there are five false positives. Other methods could increase accuracy, but at the cost of increased workload.

However, MI combined with DM could reduce false positives without impairing workload.This project aims to characterise and optimise MI for use as an adjunct imaging modality together with DM in breast cancer screening.

This will be done with a combination of computer simulations and patient data in two work packages:1: Develop realistic software breast phantoms for combined mechanical and x-ray imaging; Optimization of MI requires computer simulations to investigate how isolated changes in various parameters affect image acquisition.

It is vital to investigate how the size and location of structures affect detectability, and how to compensate for this.2: Characterise MI on clinical cases; Using data from 1000 clinical MI acquisitions we will optimise readout and quantify the response for different types of lesions and structures.

The effect on screening specificity and sensitivity will be determined.