Preliminary evaluation of dual-head Compton camera with Si/CZT material for breast cancer detection: Monte Carlo simulation study

Abstract

Recently, the Compton camera imaging system has attracted attention in the field of nuclear medicine for breast cancer detection. Among the detector materials available for use with the Compton camera, Si and CZT can dramatically improve angular resolution and sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to design a Si/CZT Compton camera imaging system with Monte Carlo simulation using Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) and to evaluate its performance in breast cancer detection. The Compton camera was designed with a dual-head detection system using Si/CZT detector materials. Two breast cancer phantoms with masses in the medial region of the breast were used to evaluate the image reconstruction algorithm. The results confirmed the feasibility of an image reconstruction algorithm with our Compton camera imaging system using various evaluation factors, including the no-reference evaluation parameter. In conclusion, our results confirm the feasibility of a Compton camera imaging system for detection of breast cancer.