WAXS fat subtraction model to estimate differential linear scattering coefficients of fatless breast tissue: phantom materials evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
Develop a method to subtract fat tissue contributions to wide-angle x-ray scatter (WAXS) signals of breast biopsies in order to estimate the differential linear scattering coefficients μ(s) of fatless tissue. Cancerous and fibroglandular tissue can then be compared independent of fat content. In this work phantom materials with known compositions were used to test the efficacy of the WAXS subtraction model.


METHODS
Each sample 5 mm in diameter and 5 mm thick was interrogated by a 50 kV 2.7 mm diameter beam for 3 min. A 25 mm(2) by 1 mm thick CdTe detector allowed measurements of a portion of the θ = 6° scattered field. A scatter technique provided means to estimate the incident spectrum N(0)(E) needed in the calculations of μ(s)[x(E, θ)] where x is the momentum transfer argument. Values of [Formula: see text] for composite phantoms consisting of three plastic layers were estimated and compared to the values obtained via the sum [Formula: see text], where ν(i) is the fractional volume of the ith plastic component. Water, polystyrene, and a volume mixture of 0.6 water + 0.4 polystyrene labelled as fibphan were chosen to mimic cancer, fat, and fibroglandular tissue, respectively. A WAXS subtraction model was used to remove the polystyrene signal from tissue composite phantoms so that the μ(s) of water and fibphan could be estimated. Although the composite samples were layered, simulations were performed to test the models under nonlayered conditions.


RESULTS
The well known μ(s) signal of water was reproduced effectively between 0.5 < x < 1.6 nm(-1). The [Formula: see text] obtained for the heterogeneous samples agreed with [Formula: see text]. Polystyrene signals were subtracted successfully from composite phantoms. The simulations validated the usefulness of the WAXS models for nonlayered biopsies.


CONCLUSIONS
The methodology to measure μ(s) of homogeneous samples was quantitatively accurate. Simple WAXS models predicted the probabilities for specific x-ray scattering to occur from heterogeneous biopsies. The fat subtraction model can allow μ(s) signals of breast cancer and fibroglandular tissue to be compared without the effects of fat provided there is an independent measurement of the fat volume fraction ν(f). Future work will consist of devising a quantitative x-ray digital imaging method to estimate ν(f) in ex vivo breast samples.
Biomolecular Sciences Program, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada.
Robert Y
RY
Tang
Department of Physics, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada.
Curtis
C
Laamanen
Department of Physics, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada.
Nancy
N
McDonald
Department of Physics, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada and Biomolecular Sciences Program, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada.
Robert J
RJ
LeClair
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology; D000465:Algorithms; D001940:Breast / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016014:Linear Models; D008327:Mammography; D008954:Models, Biological; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D010969:Plastics; D011137:Polystyrenes; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D014867:Water; D014965:X-Rays
D010969:Plastics; D011137:Polystyrenes; D014867:Water