Multi-threshold image segmentation using a boosted whale optimization: case study of breast invasive ductal carcinomas

Medical imaging is essential in modern healthcare because it assists physicians in the diagnosis of cancer. Various tissues and features in medical imaging can be recognized using image segmentation algorithms. This feature makes it possible to pinpoint and define particular areas, which makes it easier to precisely locate and characterize anomalities or lesions for cancer diagnosis. Among cancers affecting women, breast cancer is particularly prevalent, underscoring the urgent need to improve the accuracy of image segmentation for breast cancer in order to assist medical practitioners. Multi-threshold image segmentation is widely acknowledged for its direct and effective characteristics. In this context, this paper suggests a refined whale optimization algorithm to improve the segmentation accuracy of breast cancer data. This algorithm optimizes performance by combining a quantum phase interference mechanism and an enhanced solution quality strategy. This work compares the method with classical, homogeneous, state-of-the-art algorithms and runs experiments on the IEEE CEC2017 benchmark to validate its practical optimization performance. Furthermore, a multi-threshold image segmentation algorithm-based image segmentation technique is presented in this study. The Berkeley segmentation dataset and the breast invasive ductal carcinomas segmentation dataset are segmented using the approach using a non-local means two-dimensional histogram and Renyi’s entropy. Experimental results demonstrate the excellent performance of this segmentation method in image segmentation applications across both low and high threshold levels. As a result, it emerges as a valuable image segmentation technique with practical applications.