Simultaneous estimation of size, radial and angular locations of a malignant tumor in a 3-D human breast – A numerical study

•Tumor attributes were estimated simultaneously.•Consideration was given to 3-D hemispherical human breast.•Pennes bioheat equation was solved using finite element method.•Inverse analysis was done using curved fitting method.•Effect of measurement error in temperature was accounted.

This article reports a numerical study pertaining to simultaneous estimation of size, radial location and angular location of a malignant tumor in a 3-D human breast. The breast skin surface temperature profile is specific to a tumor of specific size and location. The temperature profiles are always the Gaussian one, though their peak magnitudes and areas differ according to the size and location of the tumor. The temperature profiles are obtained by solving the Pennes bioheat equation using the finite element method based solver COMSOL 4.3a. With temperature profiles known, simultaneous estimation of size, radial location and angular location of the tumor is done using the curve fitting method. Effect of measurement errors is also included in the study. Estimations are accurate, and since in the inverse analysis, the curve fitting method does not require solution of the governing bioheat equation, the estimation is very fast.