Advanced Fuzzy Sets and Genetic Algorithm Optimizer for Mammographic Image Enhancement

Abstract

A well-researched field is the development of Computer Aided Diagnosis (CADx) Systems for the benign-malignant classification of abnormalities detected by mammography. Due to the nature of the breast parenchyma, there are significant uncertainties about the shape and geometry of the abnormalities that may lead to an inaccurate diagnosis. These same uncertainties give mammograms a fuzzy character that is essential to the application of fuzzy processing. Fuzzy set theory considers uncertainty in the form of a membership function, and therefore fuzzy sets can process imperfect data if this imperfection originates from vagueness and ambiguity rather than randomness. Fuzzy contrast enhancement can improve edge detection and, by extension, the quality of related classification features. In this paper, classical (Linguistic hedges and fuzzy enhancement functions), advanced fuzzy sets (Intuitionistic fuzzy set (ΙFS), Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS), and Fermatean fuzzy sets (FFS)), and a Genetic Algorithm optimizer are proposed to enhance the contrast of mammographic features. The advanced fuzzy sets provide better information on the uncertainty of the membership function. As a result, the intuitionistic method had the best overall performance, but most of the techniques could be used efficiently, depending on the problem that needed to be solved. Linguistic methods could provide a more manageable way of spreading the histogram, revealing more extreme values than the conventional methods. A fusion technique of the enhanced mammography images with Ordered Weighted Average operators (OWA) achieves a good-quality final image.