Modeling Photon Propagation Through Human Breast with Tumor in Diffuse Optical Tomography

Abstract

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) plays important roles in different anomaly detections and analyses in human breast and brain. In this paper, we develop a model for NIR photon propagation through human breast with tumor based on the well-known mathematical approach, namely Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) with diffusion approximation. The resulted equation is transformed into Helmholtz equation in order to compute the distribution of photon density numerically. The photon propagation model is simulated through the application of finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics framework. Close observations of the photon density distribution clearly reveal that photon density distribution within and around tumor-affected area has different signatures compared to other areas of human breast. Thus, our modeling technique demonstrates an effective way of finding the location of tumor in human breast based on the photon density distribution signature of the tumor. Simulation result shows the efficacy of the technique.