Early Detection of Breast Tumour Using QuasiStatic Microwave Imaging with Two Elements Tapered Slot Vivaldi MIMO Antenna
Main Article Content
Abstract
A quad-static microwave imaging system designed for medical use, with an emphasis on early-stage breast tumour detection, is presented in this paper. A compact two-element MIMO Vivaldi antenna, designed for practical microwave imaging, is used in the proposed system. The antenna is appropriate for radar-based diagnostic systems due to its end-fire radiation characteristic. With a maximum gain of 16.98 dBi at 2.75 GHz, it operates across a broad frequency range from 2 GHz to 14.8 GHz. Additionally, it satisfies the FCC (USA) limit for localized SAR, which is 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 gram of tissue. With overall dimensions of 49 × 85 × 0.8 mm³, the antenna is designed and simulated on an affordable FR4 substrate that offers both structural compactness and a wide bandwidth. For validation, HFSS was used to create and simulate a breast phantom model that replicated the dielectric characteristics of human tissue. When the transmission coefficient (S21 and S41 parameters) is used to analyse the system, it is shown that tumours as small as 4 mm in diameter can be detected. The findings support the suggested antenna and imaging system's ability to accurately detect small breast tumours, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021;71(3):209-249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660
H. Zhang, "Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection: The Discrimination of Breast Lesion Morphology, “in IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 107103-107111, 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3001039
Amdaouch I, Saban M, El Gueri J, Chaari MZ, Vazquez Alejos A, Ruiz Alzola J, Rosado Muñoz A, Aghzout O. "A Novel Approach of a Low-Cost UWB Microwave Imaging System with High Resolution Based on SAR and a New Fast Reconstruction Algorithm for Early-Stage Breast Cancer Detection." J Imaging. 2022;8(10):264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging8100264
H. Zhang, "Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection: The Discrimination of Breast Lesion Morphology," in IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 107103-107111, 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3001039
Mojtaba A, Maryam I, Saripan IM, Hasan WZW. Three dimensions localization of tumors in confocal microwave imaging for breast cancer detection. Microwave and Optical Technology Letters. 2015;57(12):2917-2929, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mop.29470
Kaur G, et al. "Breast tissue tumour detection using S parameter analysis with a UWB stacked aperture coupled microstrip patch antenna having a shaped defected ground structure." Int J Microwave Wireless Technol. 2020;12(8):703-710.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1759078719001442
Dheyaa T. Al-Zuhairi, John M. Gahl, Adil Al-Azzawi, Naz E. Islam. Simulation Design and Testing of a Dielectric-Embedded Tapered Slot UWB Antenna for Breast Cancer Detection. Progress In Electromagnetics Research C. 2017; 79:1-15,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2528/PIERC17080103
Bhaskaran D, Krishnan R. Breast tissue tumour analysis using wideband antenna and microwave scattering. IETE Journal of Research. 2018, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03772063.2018.1531067
Bhattacharjee A, Bhawal A, Karmakar A, Saha A, Bhattacharya D. Vivaldi antennas: a historical review and current state of art. International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies. 2020;1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s1759078720001415
Misilmani HME, Naous T, Khatib SKA, Kabalan KY. A Survey on Antenna Designs for Breast Cancer Detection Using Microwave Imaging. IEEE Access. 2020; 8:102570-102594. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2999053
Mahmud ZM. Microwave imaging for breast tumour detection using unipolar AMC-based CPW-fed microstrip patch. IEEE Access. 2018; 6:44763-44775, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2859434
Tobon Vasquez JA, Vipiana F, Casu MR, Vacca M, Pulimeno A. Microwave imaging for early breast cancer detection: Experimental testing of a low-cost portable system. 2016 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APSURSI). 2016;1479-1480,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/APS.2016.7696446
Kurnaz Ç, et al. "Determination of the breast cancer tumour diameter using an ultra-wideband microwave antenna system." Sigma J Eng Nat Sci. 2023;41(5):3617-3624. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14744/sigma.2023.00047
Khuda E. A Comprehensive Review on Design and Development of Human Breast Phantoms for Ultra-Wide Band Breast Cancer Imaging Systems. Eng. J. 2017;21(3):183-206, DOI: https://doi.org/10.4186/ej.2017.21.3.183
Sasikala S., Rajkumar V. Design and Analysis of a Low-Profile Tapered Slot UWB Vivaldi Antenna for Breast Cancer Diagnosis. Progress In Electromagnetics Research C, 2024, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2528/PIERC23110702
Hu R., Zhang F., Yang S., Fu G. Ultra-Wideband and High-Gain Vivaldi Antenna with Artificial Electromagnetic Material for Ground-Penetrating Radar Applications. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2023, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/LAWP.2023.3292188
IEEE C95.1-2019, IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields, IEEE, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEESTD.2019.8859679
ICNIRP Guidelines, Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz), International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Health Physics, 2020. url: https://www.icnirp.org/cms/upload/publications/ICNIRP-Guidelines-2020.pdf
FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, OET Bulletin 65: Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency EM Fields, Supplement C, 200, url: https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-linear-series
IEC/IEEE 62704-4, Determining the Peak Spatial-Average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the Human Body From Wireless Communications Devices, Part 4, IEEE/IEC, 2020, url: https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/60896
Demirkol A., Sivas M., Koca M. A novel textile-based UWB patch antenna for breast cancer detection: SAR and performance evaluation. Sensors (Basel). 2024; 24(3):1032, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s24031032
Kadapuram S, et al. Design and SAR Analysis of Vivaldi Antenna for UWB Medical Imaging Applications. Microwave and Optical Technology Letters. 2021;63(2):472-479, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mop.32672
Kshetrimayum RS, et al. Design and SAR Evaluation of UWB Antennas for Biomedical Imaging. IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology. 2020;4(3):165-172, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JERM.2020.2999066
Alsaidosh A, et al. Early detection of breast cancer using microwave imaging: SAR and accuracy comparison. Automed. 2023,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58286/automed.761
Islam MT, et al. A Low-Cost and Portable Microwave Imaging System for Early Breast Cancer Detection. Scientific Reports. 2019;9:16231, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52685-0
Singh A, et al. Modelling and simulation of an effective triangular-slotted UWB antenna for breast cancer detection. PLoS ONE. 2025,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320806
Bhargava S, et al. Microwave imaging of breast cancer: Simulation analysis of SAR and tumour-detection limits. BioMedical Engineering Online. 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-022-01021-6
Slimi F, et al. Metamaterial Vivaldi Antenna Array for Breast Cancer Detection: Miniaturization and Performance. Sensors. 2022,
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s22103945
Saeidi H, et al. Ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas for breast cancer detection: A comprehensive review. Sensors and Actuators Reports. 2025, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2590123025002555
Aboagye E, et al. Portable noninvasive technologies for early breast cancer detection: An IR-UWB-embedded system. Computers in Biology and Medicine. 2024, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109219