A New Imaging Method for Breast Cancer Detection with Ultrasound (10331)

In the Netherlands, one out of nine women gets breast cancer. In order to increase the survival rate a nation wide screening program using mammography has come in place. Unfortunately, this screening method comes with limitations; the procedure is painful, the usage of ionizing radiation holds a certain risk and tumors in dense breasts (typical for young women) are difficult to find.

Ultrasound has the potential to become an efficient screening modality as it is cost-effective and the earlier mentioned limitations are avoided. However, the imaging reproducibility of the conventional approach is low; moreover, the detection specificity is low.

The aim of our research is to develop a novel ultrasound imaging technique to overcome (some of) the limitations of conventional ultrasound. In combination with a scanning system built in Karlsruhe this imaging technique will enable breast tissue characterization. The technique will be based on acoustic wave field theory.