METHOD FOR CHARACTERIZING MASSES IN DIGITAL MAMMOGRAMS

A method for characterizing tumoral masses in mammograms is described. It is based on two significant features of breast cancer, namely the degree of spiculation and the presence of fuzzy areas in the boundary of the tumor. The quantization of these features is performed by means of polar and pseudopolar representations of the neighborhood of the t umor to take advantage of its symmetry. The degree of spiculation is d educed from a shape parameter that characterizes the irregularity of t he boundary after enhancing divergent structures. The radial component of the gradient on the boundary provides a measurement of fuzzy appea rance. In the next step, the identification of malignant and benign tu mors is achieved with a two-level hierarchical classification using a Bayesian classifier. A set of 19 masses are processed and results are presented and discussed. (C) 1996 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumenta tion Engineers.