Calculation of X-ray attenuation coefficients for normal and cancerous breast tissues

Abstract

The study was carried out by numerical integration based on the diffraction properties and elemental composition. The elemental compositions of breast tissues in the literature were tested. The photon attenuation coefficients calculated using the recent elemental composition were found within 0.2˗16% for adipose tissue and within 0.04˗17% for glandular tissue with the experimental reference data. The attenuation coefficients of cancerous breast tissue calculated according to the elemental content previously measured in breast cancer patients were found within 0˗17% with experimental data in the literature. The attenuation coefficients are of great interest to medical research. To calculate realistic attenuation coefficients, the characteristic coherent scatter, which is most intense at small angles, must be considered. For this reason, experimentally measured form factor data were reviewed, and the most compatible one with the theoretical form factor data produced in this study was used at low momentum transfer x (0 < x ≤ 8 nm−1). The differential linear coherent scattering distributions were calculated for an energy value of 17.44 keV and compared with their experimental counterparts.