Study on the Imaging Resolution of Ultra-Wideband Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

A study on the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) microwave imaging for detecting the malignant tumor in the human breast is presented. The planer two-dimensional breast model is used to simulate the microwave propagation in the breast by the Finite Difference Time Domain method (FDTD). The confocal algorithm is employed to reconstruct the breast image to show the tumor information involving its size and the location. The influence of the tumor location on the image resolution is investigated in detail. A 6 mm tumor could be detected even when it is located nearby the chest wall. Results show that the UWB imaging is a non-invaded feasible method for the breast cancer detection.