Method and apparatus for detection of cancerous and precancerous conditions in a breast

• US 6,389,305 B1
• Filed: 04/19/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lifeline Biotechnologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lifeline Biotechnologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Buckman, Kevin, Deban, Abdou F., Tumey, David M., Xu, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, SHAWNA JEANNINE
• Application Number:
  US09/294,735
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 600/427, 600/408, 600/547, 600/407, 600/474, 600/549, 382/128, 382/132, 378/37
• US Class Current: 600/427
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part

Abstract

An apparatus for detection of precancerous and cancerous conditions in a breast is provided and includes a computer for digitizing at least one of a mammogram image data and a (scinti)mammogram image data of a breast, computer-based software operably associated with the computer based means for manipulating at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data and generating at least one of a mammogram ROI image and a (scinti)mammogram ROI image data indicative of precancerous and cancerous condition, and monitor operably associated with the computer based means for concurrently visually displaying at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data and said mammogram ROI image and said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data in a superimposed manner.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detection of precancerous and cancerous conditions in a breast, comprises:

computer based means for digitizing at least one of a mammogram image data and a (scinti)mammogram image data of a breast;

first means operably associated with the computer based means for manipulating at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data and generating at least one of a mammogram ROI image and a (scinti)mammogram ROI image data indicative of precancerous and cancerous condition; and

means operably associated with the computer based means for concurrently visually displaying at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data and said mammogram ROI image and said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data in a superimposed manner;

means for sensing at least one of thermo-physiology of the breast and electro-physiology of the breast and generating signals in response thereto; and

second means operatively associated with the sensing means for receiving and manipulating the signals and generating at least one of a thermo-physiological ROI data and an electro-physiological ROI data indicative of precancerous and cancerous conditions in the breast, wherein said displaying mean concurrently displays at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data, at least one of said mammogram ROI image data and said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data and at least one of a thermo-physiological ROI data and an electro-physiological ROI data in a superimposed manner.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer based means includes a CPU and a scanner operably connected to said CPU.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer based means includes means for storing at least one of a digitized mammogram image data and digitized (scinti)mammogram image data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first manipulating means includes means for filtering at least one of noise, size, shape ad intensity of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data to provide a filtered data and means for regionalizing said filtered data to produce said mammogram ROI image data and said (scinti)mammogram data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said displaying means further includes means for associating a unique visual attribute with at least one of said mammogram ROI image data, said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data, said thermo-physiological ROI data and said electro-physiological ROI data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said attribute is a color.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said displaying means further includes means for associating a unique visual attribute with at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said (scinti)mammogram image data and at least one of said ROI data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said attribute is a color.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first manipulating means includes processing means having non-algorithmic logic which utilizes prior pathological data in correspondence with said digitized data to manipulate said digitized data to produce said mammogram ROI image data and said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second manipulating means includes processing means having non-algorithmic logic which utilizes prior pathological data in correspondence with said sensed signals to manipulate said signals to produce said thermo-physiological ROI data and said electro-ROI data.

11. A method for determining and characterizing precancerous and cancerous conditions in a breast, which includes the steps of:

(a) digitizing at least one of a mammogram image data and a (scinti)mammogram image data;

(b) manipulating at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data to produce at least one of a mammogram ROI image data and a (scinti)mammogram ROI image data;

(c) digitizing at least one of thermo-physiological data and an electro-physiological data of the breast;

(d) manipulating at least one of thermo-physiological ROI data and electro-physiological ROI data signals indicative of precancerous and cancerous conditions in the breast; and

(e) concurrently displaying said ROI data.

12. An apparatus for detection and characterization of precancerous and cancerous conditions in a breast, which comprises:

non-invasive means adhesively connected to the breast for sensing temperature in the breast characteristic of breast cancer formation and generating temperature signals in response thereto;

first means for receiving and manipulating said signals to produce a digital output signal about said temperature signals indicative of breast cancer formation in a region of said breast, wherein said receiving and manipulating means includes a neural network having predetermined solution space memory trained on prior breast temperature signals taken over a circadian period, wherein said temperature signals are projected through said neural network to produce a generalization about said temperature signals, and wherein said generalization is used to produce said digital output signal;

second means operably for digitally producing at least one of a mammogram, image data and a (scinti)mammogram image data of a breast taken in accordance with said output signal;

third means operably associated with the second means for manipulating at least one of said digital output signal, said digitized mammogram image data and said (scinti)mammogram image data and generating at least one of a thermo-physiological ROI image data, a mammogram ROI image data and a (scinti)mammogram ROI image data indicative of precancerous and cancerous condition; and

fourth means operably associated with said third means for concurrently visually displaying at least one of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized (scinti)mammogram image data and at least one of said thermo-physiological ROI image data, said mammogram ROI image data and said (scinti)mammogram ROI image data in a superimposed manner.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, which is further characterized to include computer based device having said first means, said second means, said third means and said fourth means operably associated therewith.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, which further includes a scanner operably connected to said computer based device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said computer based device includes means for storing at least one of a digitized mammogram image data and digitized scintimammogram image data.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said third manipulating means includes means for filtering at least one of noise, size, shape and intensity of said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized scintimammogram image data to provide a filtered data and means for regionalizing said filtered data to produce said mammogram ROI image data and said scintimammogram ROI image data.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, which further includes;

fifth means for sensing electro physiology of the breast and generating signals in response thereto;

sixth means operatively associated with the fifth means for receiving and manipulating the signals and generating an electro-physiological ROI data indicative of precancerous and cancerous conditions in the breast; and

wherein said fourth means concurrently displays said digitized mammogram image data and said digitized scintimammogram image data, at least one of said mammogram ROI image data, said scintimammogram ROI image data, said thermo-physiological ROI data and said electro-physiological ROI data in a superimposed manner.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said displaying means further includes means for associating a unique visual attribute with at least one of said mammogram ROI image data, said scintimammogram ROI image data, said thermo-physiological ROI data and said electro-physiological ROI data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said attribute is a color.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said displaying means further includes means for associating a unique visual attribute with at least one of said mammogram ROI image data, said scintimammogram ROI image data, and said thermo-physiological ROI data.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said attribute is a color.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first manipulating means includes processing means having non-algorithmic logic which utilizes prior pathological data in correspondence with said digitized data to manipulate said digitized data to produce said mammogram ROI image data and said scintimammogram ROI image data.

23. A method for determining and characterizing precancerous and cancerous conditions in a breast, which includes the steps of:

(a) directly sensing temperature of areas of a breast which have been predetermined highly susceptible to cancer development and generating temperature signals over a predetermined period;

(b) manipulating said temperature signals through a neural network trained on prior breast temperature signals taken over said predetermined period to produce a first digitized output signal indicative of cancerous and precancerous conditions in said area of the breast, wherein said neural network includes a predetermined solution space memory indicative of precancerous and cancerous breast tissue and breast cancer;

(c) digitizing at least one of a mammogram image data and a (scinti)mammogram image data;

(d) manipulating at least one of said first digitized output, said digitized mammogram data and said (scinti)mammogram image data and a (scinti)mammogram ROI image data; and

(e) concurrently displaying at least two of said ROI data.

24. The method of claim 23, which further includes the steps of (f) directly sensing electro-physiology of the of areas of a breast which have been predetermined highly susceptible to cancer development and (g) manipulating said temperature signals through a neural network trained on prior breast temperature signals taken over said predetermined period to produce a second digitized output signal indicative of cancerous and precancerous conditions in said area of the breast, wherein said neural network includes a predetermined solution space memory indicative of precancerous breast tissue and breast cancer;

and wherein the step (d) is characterized as manipulating at least one of said first digitized output signal, said second digitized output signal, said digitized mammogram data and said scintimammogram image data to produce at least one of a thermo-physiological ROI image data, electro-physiological ROI image data a mammogram ROI image data and a scintimammogram ROI image data.