Design of a Slotted Patch Circular Antenna Array for Breast Tumor Identification

Breast cancer has been one of the main causes of death in women in the last few decades, highlighting the need for more accurate methods of early detection that can facilitate more rapid and efficient treatment. X-ray mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound are all diagnostic tools for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. But they are constrained in some ways. For example, X-ray mammography, the most popular breast screening procedure, can miss cancer detection due to low tissue contrast and radiation exposure. In comparison to X-ray mammography, microwave imaging is safer for patients and offers higher detection rates. MBI utilizes differences in the electrical characteristics of fatty breast tissues and abnormal ones to diagnose breast cancer. This paper compares and contrasts four different microstrip patch antennas operating at 2.45 GHz for use in microwave breast imaging in the ISM frequency band. These antennas can identify tumors by analyzing and comparing their s-parameter, E-field, H-field, radiation pattern, and specific absorption rate (SAR). By placing each antenna separately on the breast skin and analyzing the field values and surface current density differences between the healthy and malignant tissue of the breast phantom designed and simulated in CST STUDIO SUITE, a single antenna is selected for the six-element antenna array to increase tumor detection sensitivity.