On a different wavelength

A safer and more effective way of screening for breast cancer could be on the cards, thanks to research being carried out at the University of Northumbria. Dr David Smith and his team have been investigating the potential of creating holographic images of tumours using microwaves, with promising results. Now the Medical Research Council has provided a £90,000 grant to help create a system that could be used in a medical setting.

There is a big difference in material properties between healthy and malignant tissue at microwave frequencies. So at the interface where the healthy and malignant tissue meet, the microwaves are reflected and scattered. These can be measured by holographic methods, similar to the process used to produce optical holograms.

The scattered microwave signal is combined with a reference signal to produce a set of interference fringes. Unlike a normal hologram, where the eye picks up a 3D image when the original light is shone through it, here a computer and microwaves are used to create the holographic image.