Breast classification based on impedance measurements

Abstract

A method of screening for breast cancer, including determining at least one first electrical impedance related characteristic for a first breast of a patient, determining at least one second electrical impedance related characteristic for a second breast of a patient and classifying the patient as requiring additional testing, responsive to the value of the first and second characteristics, wherein classifying is not based on a difference between the first and second characteristics.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of screening for breast cancer, including:
 applying an external electrical stimulus to a patient;   detecting electrical signals at first and second breasts of the patient, responsive to the stimulus;   determining at least one first electrical impedance related characteristic for a first breast of a patient;   determining at least one second electrical impedance related characteristic for a second breast of a patient responsive to said detected signals; and   classifying the patient as requiring additional testing, responsive to the value of the first and second characteristics, wherein classifying is not based on a difference between the first and second electrical impedance related characteristics.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein classifying is performed for each breast separately and wherein the patient is classified as requiring further testing if either breast indicates such further testing. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the characteristics for the two breasts are averaged and the classification is based on the averaged value. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one portion of the breast includes one or both of the nipple and areola of the respective breast. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one portion is limited to the nipple and areola of the respective breast. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one portion includes one or more additional portions of the breast not including the nipple and areola. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein said additional portions are limited to areas within  1  cm of the areola. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the determining includes averaging the values of the characteristic measured at the additional portions. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one portion does not include the nipple tip. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one portion is determined by using an electrode shaped to include only desired regions. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein a determination of the area of the nipple is made based on an impedance map. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 6  wherein a determination of the area of the nipple is made based on an impedance map. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein classifying the patient comprises providing a binary rating on whether the patient belongs to a high risk group. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein classifying the patient comprises providing a multi-level rating. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the patient is originally classified as being in a first risk group having a first risk factor and wherein classifying comprises re-classifying the patient as a member of a second risk group, for which a diagnosis is not made, but for which the risk justifies the additional testing, the second risk group having a second risk factor greater than the first risk factor. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 15 , wherein the second group has a risk factor of greater than 2 but less than 15. 
     
     
         17 . Apparatus for breast cancer screening, including:
 an electrode for applying an electrical stimulus to a patient;   a probe for acquiring electrical signals from the breasts of a patient, responsive to the stimulus; and   a processor adapted to determine for each breast of the patient a respective dielectric parameter value of the breast, responsive to signals acquired by the probe and to classify the patient as to whether additional testing is required, responsive to the values of the determined parameter values, wherein the classifying is not based on a difference between the parameter values.   
     
     
         18 . Apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor determines values of the same dielectric parameter for both breasts. 
     
     
         19 . Apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is adapted to classify the patient as to whether additional testing is required, without relation to an impedance map of the breasts. 
     
     
         20 . Apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is adapted to classify the patient based on an additive function of the parameter values of the breast. 
     
     
         21 . Apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is adapted to classify each breast separately and the patient is classified as requiring further testing if either breast is classified as requiring further testing. 
     
     
         22 . Apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is adapted to classify each breast separately and the patient is classified as requiring further testing based on an average of the classifications of the two breasts.