Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies diagnosed in women globally. The early and accurate diagnosis of cancer is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and survival rates, but access to advanced medical imaging techniques remains limited in many settings. Ultrasound elastography (USE) is a non-invasive imaging technique that assesses tissue stiffness, offering significant potential in breast cancer diagnosis. Malignant tissues are generally stiffer than benign tissues, reflecting a direct correlation between tissue mechanical properties and health. USE is be used to analyze the mechanical properties of tissue and therefore detect possible malignancies. Despite its clinical use, the sensitivity of USE in detecting subtle microstructural changes in tissue remains underexplored. This project aims to evaluate the diagnostic feasibility of USE in identifying localized microstructural changes in adipose tissue. By comparing baseline stiffness values of untreated adipose tissue to values obtained after inducing microstructural changes (through freezing), this research seeks to establish USE’s sensitivity thresholds. The findings will provide critical insights into USE’s capability to identify early pathological changes, contributing to its validation as a diagnostic tool for early breast cancer detection.
