Early Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Using Image Processing Techniques

Abstract

Cancer is a noncommunicable chronic disease that indistinctly affects people of any nationality, race, ethnicity, age, or social class. Because of its unpredictability, receiving the diagnosis of this disease is almost always alarming for the patient. Breast cancer, especially among women, occupies a prominent position in this ranking. However, if diagnosed early, there is an excellent chance of a cure. In this sense, digital technologies have been advancing at an increasingly fast pace to support the early diagnosis of the disease. Clinical analysis of breast cancer is commonly performed using diagnostic imaging. One of the most used exams considered the main one for the early detection of this type of cancer is mammography. This exam allows the visualization of breast tissue from image screening using X-rays. In this sense, the use of computational techniques is essential to assist medical professionals in diagnosing this disease, thus making prevention and early diagnosis even more effective in the current context. The present work is limited to the use of digital technologies (image processing and artificial intelligence) that cooperate with the early diagnosis of breast cancer, which supports the medical professional to analyze images and be able to diagnose, from an early stage, the emergence of breast cancer of the disease, significantly increasing the chances of curing it. It can be gathered from this research how the discovery of X-rays and the growth in this sector combined with cutting-edge technology have benefitted in the early detection of the disease and even offered the cure of many cases.