Repository of MRI-derived models of the breast with single and multiple benign and malignant tumors for microwave imaging research

Sep 21, 2026

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Breast cancer diagnosis through MicroWave Imaging (MWI) has been widely studied, yet ongoing system improvements are required for clinical viability. Simulation studies rely on numerical models that must be diversified, anatomically accurate, and representative of clinical cases. We created an open-access repository of 3D MRI-derived breast models from benign disease and breast cancer patients, including normal tissues and tumors. The repository offers reconfigurable single- or multi-tumor scenarios and an executable tool to generate models with dielectric properties from 3–10 GHz, and will expand beyond 55 patients.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Breast MWI and clinical relevance

Need for anatomically accurate breast models

Funding and competing interests

PLOS ONE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Pelicano AC, Gonalves MCT, Castela T, Orvalho ML, Ara´ujo NAM, Porter E, et al. (2024) Repository of MRI-derived models of the breast with single and multiple benign and malignant tumors for microwave imaging research. PLoSONE 19(5): e0302974 . [https://doi.org/10.1371/](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.1371/)[journal.pone.0302974](journal.pone.0302974) Editor: Muhammad Zubair, Information Technology University, PAKISTAN Received: October 30, 2023 Accepted: April 16, 2024 Published: May 17, 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Pelicano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: The repository provides pre-processed T1-weighted MRI scans along with label maps containing segmented tissues. Furthermore, it includes an executable file that allows the integration of tissue dielectric properties within the models, spanning from 3 to 10 GHz. Access to the repository can be obtained via the following link: [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)[ ](https://github.com/)[acpelicano/breast_models_repository](acpelicano/breast_models_repository.)[.](acpelicano/breast_models_repository.) RESEARCH ARTICLE Repository of MRI-derived models of the breast with single and multiple benign and malignant tumors for microwave imaging research Ana C. Pelicano1,2☯*, Maria C. T. Gonalves1,2☯, Tiago Castela3, M. Lurdes Orvalho3, NunoA. M. Ara´ujo2,4, Emily Porter5,6, Raquel C. Conceião1,2, Daniela M. Godinho1,2 1 Instituto de Biof´ısica e Engenharia Biom´edica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 2 Departamento de F´ısica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 3 Departamento de Radiologia, Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Luz Sa´ude, Lisboa, Portugal, 4 Centro de F´ısica Te´orica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, 5 Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of Ameirca, 6 Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montr´eal, Canada ☯ These authors contributed equally to this work. * [acpelicano@ciencias.ulisboa.pt](acpelicano@ciencias.ulisboa.pt) Abstract The diagnosis of breast cancer through MicroWave Imaging (MWI) technology has been extensively researched over the past few decades. However, continuous improvements to systems are needed to achieve clinical viability. To this end, the numerical models employed in simulation studies need to be diversified, anatomically accurate, and also representative of the cases in clinical settings. Hence, we have created the first open-access repository of 3D anatomically accurate numerical models of the breast, derived from 3.0T Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) of benign breast disease and breast cancer patients. The models include normal breast tissues (fat, fibroglandular, skin, and muscle tissues), and benign and cancerous breast tumors. The repository contains easily reconfigurable models which can be tumor-free or contain single or multiple tumors, allowing complex and realistic test scenarios needed for feasibility and performance assessment of MWI devices prior to experimental and clinical testing. It also includes an executable file which enables researchers to generate models incorporating the dielectric properties of breast tissues at a chosen frequency ranging from 3 to 10 GHz, thereby ensuring compatibility with a wide spectrum of research requirements and stages of development for any breast MWI prototype system. Currently, our dataset comprises MRI scans of 55 patients, but new exams will be continuously added. Introduction MWI has been studied in the past decades for breast cancer screening and diagnosis [ 1–3] . S

FAQs

What does the repository provide for microwave imaging research?

It provides pre-processed T1-weighted MRI scans, label maps with segmented tissues, reconfigurable 3D breast models (tumor-free or with single/multiple tumors), and an executable tool to incorporate tissue dielectric properties.

How are the models generated and what frequency range do they support?

Models are derived from 3.0T MRI of benign breast disease and breast cancer patients. The executable enables dielectric property integration at chosen frequencies spanning 3 to 10 GHz.

How large is the dataset now, and how will it change over time?

The current dataset includes MRI scans of 55 patients. New exams will be continuously added to expand the repository.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Eliana