Time-frequency analysis of the thermoacoustic signals for early breast cancer detection

The time-frequency(T-F) characteristics of the microwave-induced thermoacoustic signals generated from the tumors inside the breast are analyzed by Choi-Williams Distribution(CWD). The signals are simulated by finite-difference time-domain(FDTD) codes, with the semi-round breast model. The results indicate that round-shaped and ellipsoidal-shaped tumors with different sizes and shapes have different CWDs, and therefore, this T-F technique has the potential to detect different tumors and estimate its sizes and shapes, and become a new diagnostic method for early breast cancer.