title: Microwave cancer imaging exploiting magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agent.
abstract: In this paper, a microwave technique for breast cancer imaging is presented. The approach is based on the use of magnetic nanoparticles as contrast agent to induce a nonnull magnetic contrast selectively localized within the tumor. This allows us to face cancer imaging as the reconstruction of a magnetic contrast from the corresponding scattered field. To extract, from the measured data the contribution due to the magnetic contrast, i.e., the signal meaningful for cancer imaging, the approach exploits the possibility of modulating the magnetic response of magnetic nanoparticles by means of a polarizing magnetic field. The achievable reconstruction capabilities and the robustness against uncertainties on the electric features of the surrounding electric scenario are assessed by means of numerical examples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80125, Italy. gbellizz@unina.it
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellizzi
authors.forename: Ovidio M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Catapano
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D008872:Microwaves; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles