Breast Tumor Detection Using Rectangular Slotted Microstrip Patch Antenna in ISM Band

Early and accurate detection of breast tumor is essential for effective treatment since it is a major threat to global women’s health. Besides the other modalities, microwave-based detection of breast tumor shows promise for various benefits. In this paper, we present a Rectangular Slotted Microstrip Patch Antenna (RSMPA) for breast tumor detection with an operational frequency range of 2.36-2.45 GHz under -10 dB in the ISM band. The antenna consists of four rectangular slots in the patch’s upper side. The designed antenna operates at 2.404 GHz with a return loss of -56.204 dB and exhibits an impedance bandwidth of about 90 MHz, making it appropriate for the detection of breast tumors in the early stage. Furthermore, distance-dependent performance evaluation of the antenna is carried out considering different separations between the antenna and the breast phantom to find the optimal separation from the breast. We investigated the changes in performance parameters in the presence and absence of tumors of different sizes and locations. For example, the reflection coefficient rises by 1.067 dB, and frequency shifts by 0.4 MHz when a 6 mm tumor is present. The proposed antenna can detect tumor size of 1 mm radius and hence it might be useful for early detection. Nonetheless, with 10 g tissue, both SAR values (1.25 W/kg without tumor and 1.33 W/kg with tumor) stay under the IEEE Standard C95.1-1999 safe limit of 2 W/kg. Since the designed antenna complies with SAR safety requirements with efficient performance, it can be useful in clinical applications.