Micro-calcification detection to characterize malignant breast lesion

Breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death and most common cancer among women [14]. With advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the death rate for breast cancer has declined by about 20% over the past decade. Micro-calcifications are calcium deposit which can be identified as tiny areas that are slightly brighter than surrounding tissue [13]. In this paper, we propose a micro-calcification detection algorithm in two parts. One is segmentation of the mass or nodule and the other is detection of micro-calcification within the mass. MATLAB has been used for the simulation of this algorithm and the results obtained are presented in this paper.