Non-invasive estimation of size and location of a tumor in a human breast using a curve fitting technique

This article deals with the estimation of the size and location of a tumor in the breast. Estimation is based on the measurement of the skin surface temperature. With skin surface temperature known, the estimation is done using the newly proposed curve fitting technique. For the present study, justification is shown for the consideration of a 2-D geometry of the breast instead of its 3-D hemispherical shape. Heat transfer in a blood perfused tissue is analyzed using the Pennes bioheat equation. The steady-state temperature distribution in the tissue-tumor system is obtained by solving the bioheat equation using the finite volume method. The size and location of the tumor are accurately estimated. Computationally, the procedure is highly efficient.