Identifying and excluding blurred areas of images of stained tissue to improve cancer scoring
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- selecting a learning region of a digital image of a slice of tissue from a cancer patient that has been stained using a biomarker, wherein the digital image comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color defined by pixel values, wherein a portion of the pixels exhibits the color stained using the biomarker, and wherein the learning region includes a first sub region and a second sub region;
distorting the second sub region of the learning region by applying a filter to the pixel values of each pixel of the second sub region so as artificially to blur the second sub region;
generating a pixelwise descriptor by analyzing and comparing the pixel values of each pixel of the learning region with the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each analyzed pixel, wherein the pixelwise descriptor is trained to indicate based on the comparing with neighboring pixels that each pixel of the learning region most likely belongs either to an unblurred class of pixels such as those in the first sub region or to a blurred class of pixels such as those in the second sub region;
characterizing each pixel of the digital image as most likely belonging either to the unblurred class of pixels or to the blurred class of pixels using the pixelwise descriptor by classifying each characterized pixel based on the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each characterized pixel; and
identifying blurred areas of the digital image based on the classifying of pixels as belonging to the blurred class of pixels;
generating image objects by segmenting the digital image except in the identified blurred areas;
determining a score using the image objects, wherein the score is indicative of a level of cancer malignancy of the slice of tissue from the cancer patient.
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Abstract
A method for identifying blurred areas in digital images of stained tissue involves artificially blurring a learning tile and then training a pixel classifier to correctly classify each pixel as belonging either to the learning tile or to a blurred copy. A learning tile is first selected from a digital image of stained tissue. The learning tile is copied and blurred by applying a filter to each pixel. The pixel classifier is trained to correctly classify each pixel as belonging either to the learning tile or to the blurred, copied learning tile. The pixel classifier then classifies each pixel of the entire digital image as most likely resembling either the learning tile or the blurred learning tile. The digital image is segmented into blurred and unblurred areas based on the pixel classification. The blurred areas and the unblurred areas of the digital image are identified on a graphical user interface.
33 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
- selecting a learning region of a digital image of a slice of tissue from a cancer patient that has been stained using a biomarker, wherein the digital image comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color defined by pixel values, wherein a portion of the pixels exhibits the color stained using the biomarker, and wherein the learning region includes a first sub region and a second sub region;
distorting the second sub region of the learning region by applying a filter to the pixel values of each pixel of the second sub region so as artificially to blur the second sub region;
generating a pixelwise descriptor by analyzing and comparing the pixel values of each pixel of the learning region with the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each analyzed pixel, wherein the pixelwise descriptor is trained to indicate based on the comparing with neighboring pixels that each pixel of the learning region most likely belongs either to an unblurred class of pixels such as those in the first sub region or to a blurred class of pixels such as those in the second sub region;
characterizing each pixel of the digital image as most likely belonging either to the unblurred class of pixels or to the blurred class of pixels using the pixelwise descriptor by classifying each characterized pixel based on the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each characterized pixel; and
identifying blurred areas of the digital image based on the classifying of pixels as belonging to the blurred class of pixels;
generating image objects by segmenting the digital image except in the identified blurred areas;
determining a score using the image objects, wherein the score is indicative of a level of cancer malignancy of the slice of tissue from the cancer patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- selecting a learning region of a digital image of a slice of tissue from a cancer patient that has been stained using a biomarker, wherein the digital image comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color defined by pixel values, wherein a portion of the pixels exhibits the color stained using the biomarker, and wherein the learning region includes a first sub region and a second sub region;
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9. A method comprising:
- selecting a region of a digital image of cancer tissue that has been stained using a biomarker, wherein the digital image comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color defined by pixel values, wherein a portion of the pixels exhibits the color stained using the biomarker, and wherein the region includes a first sub region and a second sub region;
distorting the second sub region by modifying the pixel values of each pixel of the second sub region so as artificially to blur the second sub region;
generating a pixelwise descriptor by comparing the pixel values of each pixel of the region with the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each analyzed pixel, wherein the pixelwise descriptor is trained to indicate based on the comparing that each pixel of the region most likely belongs either to an unblurred class of pixels such as those in the first sub region or to a blurred class of pixels such as those in the second sub region;
characterizing each pixel of the digital image as most likely belonging either to the unblurred class of pixels or to the blurred class of pixels using the pixelwise descriptor by classifying each characterized pixel based on the pixel values of neighboring pixels at predetermined offsets from each characterized pixel; and
identifying blurred areas of the digital image based on the classifying of pixels as belonging to the blurred class of pixels;
generating image objects by segmenting the digital image except in the identified blurred areas; and
determining a score using the image objects, wherein the score is indicative of a level of cancer malignancy of the cancer tissue. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- selecting a region of a digital image of cancer tissue that has been stained using a biomarker, wherein the digital image comprises pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color defined by pixel values, wherein a portion of the pixels exhibits the color stained using the biomarker, and wherein the region includes a first sub region and a second sub region;
Specification