Localization of Nuclei in Breast Cancer Using Whole Slide Imaging System Supported by Morphological Features and Shape Formulas

Publicly available datasets of breast histopathology H&E whole-slide images: A scoping review

Advancements in digital pathology and computing resources have made a significant impact in the field of computational pathology for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, access to high-quality labeled histopathological images of breast cancer is a big challenge that limits the development of accurate and robust deep learning models. In this scoping review, we identified the publicly available datasets of breast H&E-stained whole-slide images (WSIs) that can be used to develop deep learning algorithms. We systematically searched 9 scientific literature databases and 9 research data repositories and found 17 publicly available datasets containing 10 385 H&E WSIs of breast cancer. Moreover, we reported image metadata and characteristics for each dataset to assist researchers in selecting proper datasets for specific tasks in breast cancer computational pathology. In addition, we compiled 2 lists of breast H&E patches and private datasets as supplementary resources for researchers. Notably, only 28% of the included articles utilized multiple datasets, and only 14% used an external validation set, suggesting that the performance of other developed models may be susceptible to overestimation. The TCGA-BRCA was used in 52% of the selected studies. This dataset has a considerable selection bias that can impact the robustness and generalizability of the trained algorithms. There is also a lack of consistent metadata reporting of breast WSI datasets that can be an issue in developing accurate deep learning models, indicating the necessity of establishing explicit guidelines for documenting breast WSI dataset characteristics and metadata.

Whole Slide Imaging Technology and Its Applications: Current and Emerging Perspectives

Background. Whole slide imaging (WSI) represents a paradigm shift in pathology, serving as a necessary first step for a wide array of digital tools to enter the field. It utilizes virtual microscopy wherein glass slides are converted into digital slides and are viewed by pathologists by automated image analysis. Its impact on pathology workflow, reproducibility, dissemination of educational material, expansion of service to underprivileged areas, and institutional collaboration exemplifies a significant innovative movement. The recent US Food and Drug Administration approval to WSI for its use in primary surgical pathology diagnosis has opened opportunities for wider application of this technology in routine practice. Main Text. The ongoing technological advances in digital scanners, image visualization methods, and the integration of artificial intelligence-derived algorithms with these systems provide avenues to exploit its applications. Its benefits are innumerable such as ease of access through the internet, avoidance of physical storage space, and no risk of deterioration of staining quality or breakage of slides to name a few. Although the benefits of WSI to pathology practices are many, the complexities of implementation remain an obstacle to widespread adoption. Some barriers including the high cost, technical glitches, and most importantly professional hesitation to adopt a new technology have hindered its use in routine pathology. Conclusions. In this review, we summarize the technical aspects of WSI, its applications in diagnostic pathology, training, and research along with future perspectives. It also highlights improved understanding of the current challenges to implementation, as well as the benefits and successes of the technology. WSI provides a golden opportunity for pathologists to guide its evolution, standardization, and implementation to better acquaint them with the key aspects of this technology and its judicial use. Also, implementation of routine digital pathology is an extra step requiring resources which (currently) does not usually result increased efficiency or payment.

Detection of Breast Cancer with Lightweight Deep Neural Networks for Histology Image Classification

Many researchers have developed computer-assisted diagnostic (CAD) methods to diagnose breast cancer using histopathology microscopic images. These techniques help to improve the accuracy of biopsy diagnosis with hematoxylin and eosin-stained images. On the other hand, most CAD systems usually rely on inefficient and time-consuming manual feature extraction methods. Using a deep learning (DL) model with convolutional layers, we present a method to extract the most useful pictorial information for breast cancer classification. Breast biopsy images stained with hematoxylin and eosin can be categorized into four groups namely benign lesions, normal tissue, carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma. To correctly classify different types of breast cancer, it is important to classify histopathological images accurately. The MobileNet architecture model is used to obtain high accuracy with less resource utilization. The proposed model is fast, inexpensive, and safe due to which it is suitable for the detection of breast cancer at an early stage. This lightweight deep neural network can be accelerated using field-programmable gate arrays for the detection of breast cancer. DL has been implemented to successfully classify breast cancer. The model uses categorical cross-entropy to learn to give the correct class a high probability and other classes a low probability. It is used in the classification stage of the convolutional neural network (CNN) after the clustering stage, thereby improving the performance of the proposed system. To measure training and validation accuracy, the model was trained on Google Colab for 280 epochs with a powerful GPU with 2496 CUDA cores, 12 GB GDDR5 VRAM, and 12.6 GB RAM. Our results demonstrate that deep CNN with a chi-square test has improved the accuracy of histopathological image classification of breast cancer by greater than 11% compared with other state-of-the-art methods.

Breast histopathological image analysis using image processing techniques for diagnostic puposes: A methodological review

Breast cancer in women is the second most common cancer worldwide. Early detection of breast cancer can reduce the risk of human life. Non-invasive techniques such as mammograms and ultrasound imaging are popularly used to detect the tumour. However, histopathological analysis is necessary to determine the malignancy of the tumour as it analyses the image at the cellular level. Manual analysis of these slides is time consuming, tedious, subjective and are susceptible to human errors. Also, at times the interpretation of these images are inconsistent between laboratories. Hence, a Computer-Aided Diagnostic system that can act as a decision support system is need of the hour. Moreover, recent developments in computational power and memory capacity led to the application of computer tools and medical image processing techniques to process and analyze breast cancer histopathological images. This review paper summarizes various traditional and deep learning based methods developed to analyze breast cancer histopathological images. Initially, the characteristics of breast cancer histopathological images are discussed. A detailed discussion on the various potential regions of interest is presented which is crucial for the development of Computer-Aided Diagnostic systems. We summarize the recent trends and choices made during the selection of medical image processing techniques. Finally, a detailed discussion on the various challenges involved in the analysis of BCHI is presented along with the future scope.