V-NET-VGG16: Hybrid deep learning architecture for optimal segmentation and classification of multi-differentiated liver tumors

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, underscoring the importance of early and accurate diagnosis. This study aims to develop an automatic system for liver tumor detection and classification using Computed Tomography (CT) images, addressing the critical challenge of accurately segmenting liver tumors and classifying them as benign, malignant, or normal tissues.

The proposed method combines two advanced deep learning models: V-Net for tumor segmentation and VGG16 for classification. A liver CT dataset augmented with various transformations, was used to enhance the model's robustness. The data was split into training (70 %) and testing (30 %) sets. The V-Net model performs the segmentation, isolating the liver and tumor regions from the CT images, while VGG16 is used for the classification of tumor types based on the segmented data.

The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this hybrid approach. The V-Net model achieved a Dice score of 97.34 % for accurate tumor segmentation, while the VGG16 model attained a classification accuracy of 96.52 % in differentiating between benign, malignant, and normal cases. These results surpass several existing state-of-the-art approaches in liver tumors analysis, demonstrating the potential of the proposed method for reliable and efficient medical image processing.

In conclusion, the hybrid V-Net and VGG16 architecture offers a powerful tool for the segmentation and classification of liver tumors, providing a significant improvement over manual segmentation methods that are prone to human error. This approach could aid clinicians in early diagnosis and treatment planning. Future work will focus on expanding the dataset and applying the method to other types of cancer to assess the model's generalizability and effectiveness in broader clinical settings.