Automatic diagnosis of mammographic abnormalities based on hybrid features with learning classifier

Abstract

Breast cancer screening is currently performed by mammography, which is limited by overlying anatomy and dense breast tissue. Computer-aided detection (CAD) systems can serve as a double reader to improve radiologist performance. In this paper, we have applied a novel approach to segmentation of suspicious region by mammogram and classification based on hybrid features with learning classifier. We formulated differentiation of lesion from normal tissue as a supervised learning problem, and applied this learning method to develop the classification algorithm. The algorithm has been verified with 164 mammograms in the mini Mammographic Image Analysis Society database. The experimental results show that the detection method has a sensitivity of 94.5% at 0.26 false positives per image. The efficiency of algorithm is measured using free receiver operating characteristics curve and the results are highlighted. We conclude that CAD technology with learning classifier has the potential to help radiologists with the task of discriminating between lesion and normal tissues.

Keywords::

• mammography
• classification
• segmentation
• lesion
• expectation–maximisation
• hybrid feature