Dual layer UWB dielectric probe for bistatic breast cancer detection system

Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women. An estimated 39,970 breast cancer death were expected in 2011 even though rates for breast cancer have steadily decreased since 1990 owing to improved treatment, decreased incidence and most importantly progress in early detection [1]. Early stage detection is the important key for reducing breast cancer mortality. X-ray mammography is most practically used technique currently for breast cancer screening test, however the X-ray contrast between a tumour and the surrounding tissue is of the order of a few percent — as a result it suffers from a relatively high missed and false-detection rates; and involves uncomfortable compression of the breast [2][3]. X-rays are also ionizing and therefore not generally suited to frequent screening. Microwave imaging is now emerging as a viable alternative to X-ray and has attracted the interest of many researchers throughout the world. Microwave breast imaging is a low-cost, non-ionizing, three-dimensional (3-D) tomography technology that has the potential for improving breast cancer screening and diagnosis [4]–[6].