QUSTom (Quantitative Ultrasound Stochastic Tomography) is a new European project that aims to introduce a new medical imaging modality based for the first time on ultrasound and supercomputing, which will complement or even replace current techniques that use X-rays such as mammograms. This technology will be completely safe for patients as it does not use ionising radiation. It will also offer superior image quality and better monitoring of tumours, among other advantages.
The algorithms developed to obtain the medical images will offer two types of images simultaneously: the image of the patient's tissue and its associated uncertainty, which shows, pixel by pixel, how reliable the information is. The project also incorporates concepts such as multimodal imaging and real 3D imaging, an unprecedented combination in ultrasound breast imaging.
These algorithms, which will be developed using supercomputers within BSC, will be inspired by others that have proven effective in completely different research areas, such as the analysis of the earth's subsurface.
The project has five other partners: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Arctur and the BSC and Imperial College London spin-off FrontWave Imaging, which is aligned with the objectives of this project, as well as Imperial College London itself as an associate partner. Therefore, physicists, engineers, operational experts and radiologists will work together to develop the next generation of radiation-free, accurate and scalable breast cancer diagnostic tools.
QUSTom poses an excellent opportunity to bring ultrasound imaging to the next level. Interestingly enough, the proposed revolution comes not just from an extraordinary imaging device but from the imaging algorithms used to generate unprecedented ultrasound images. Images that we can fairly compare to those obtained with MRI.
The process of understanding, interpreting and configuring the images as a new diagnostic tool will be carried out by Vall d'Hebron Hospital. This new technology will be developed within the framework of the multimodal assessment that the team performs in the clinical care process as an integral part of the diagnosis and monitoring of breast cancer, all in the context of the Breast Pathology Unit.
