Markov random field for tumor detection in digital mammography.

A technique is proposed for the detection of tumors in digital mammography. Detection is performed in two steps: segmentation and classification. In segmentation, regions of interest are first extracted from the images by adaptive thresholding. A further reliable segmentation is achieved by a modified Markov random field (MRF) model-based method. In classification, the MRF segmented regions are classified into suspicious and normal by a fuzzy binary decision tree based on a series of radiographic, density-related features. A set of normal (50) and abnormal (45) screen/film mammograms were tested. The latter contained 48 biopsy proven, malignant masses of various types and subtlety. The detection accuracy of the algorithm was evaluated by means of a free response receiver operating characteristic curve which shows the relationship between the detection of true positive masses and the number of false positive alarms per image. The results indicated that a 90% sensitivity can be achieved in the detection of different types of masses at the expense of two falsely detected signals per image. The algorithm was notably successful in the detection of minimal cancers manifested by masses