International Journal of Engineering
Trends and Technology

Research Article | Open Access | Download PDF
Volume 74 | Issue 3 | Year 2026 | Article Id. IJETT-V74I3P101 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V74I3P101

Smart Breast Cancer Screening: AI-Powered Thermal Imaging for Rural Healthcare


Sangeeta Parshionikar, Vijaya Babu Burra, Debnath Bhattacharyya

Received Revised Accepted Published
12 Aug 2025 19 Jan 2026 27 Jan 2026 28 Mar 2026

Citation :

Sangeeta Parshionikar, Vijaya Babu Burra, Debnath Bhattacharyya, "Smart Breast Cancer Screening: AI-Powered Thermal Imaging for Rural Healthcare," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT), vol. 74, no. 3, pp. 1-10, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V74I3P101

Abstract

Breast Cancer is the most predominant among all types of cancers and the leading cause of death not only in India but worldwide also. The scenario is worse in rural areas. This is due to the fact that women in rural areas are not aware of breast cancer symptoms, its adverse effects, and its causes. This results in the detection of breast cancer at an advanced stage. Also, the medical facility is not easily accessible to them. Subsequently, this results in an increase in mortality rate. Hence, there is an urgent need to have a cost-effective and efficient smart healthcare system for the detection and monitoring of Breast cancer in rural women. In this research work, a smart breast cancer detection system, especially useful to remotely located people, is proposed. The proposed system makes use of infrared thermal images for the detection of breast cancer. The system can be deployed in the primary health center of every village to provide the facility to remotely located people. With the AI technology, data from the primary health center is uploaded to the cloud for classification. An enhanced multi-scale deep convolutional capsule neural network classifies and detects the presence or absence of a cancer tumor, and sends information back to the health center, along with the treatment procedure and the availability of the nearest cancer center. A full-stack web application is developed to evaluate its practical application. This application aims to bring AI-driven breast cancer detection to remote villages, enhancing healthcare accessibility in underserved areas. The system uses Node.js for the backend, MongoDB for data management, and React with the ShadCN UI library for the frontend, providing a seamless user experience.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence, Breast Cancer, Deep learning model, Healthcare system, Infrared Images, Remote monitoring.

References

[1] Angela N. Giaquinto et al., “Breast Cancer Statistics 2024,” CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, vol. 74, no. 6, pp. 477-495, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[2] Key Statistics for Breast Cancer, American Cancer Society, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html

[3] Oliver Díaz, Alejandro Rodríguez-Ruíz, and Ioannis Sechopoulos, “Artificial Intelligence for Breast Cancer Detection: Technology, Challenges, and Prospects,” European Journal of Radiology, vol. 175, pp. 1-8, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[4] Ravi Mehrotra, and Kavitha Yadav, “Breast Cancer in India: Present Scenario and the Challenges Ahead,” World Journal Clinical Oncology, vol. 24, no. 13(3), pp. 209-218, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[5] Sebastien Jean Mambou, “Breast Cancer Detection using Infrared Thermal Imaging and a Deep Learning Model,” Sensors, vol. 18, no. 9, pp. 1-19, 2018.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[6] Aigerim Mashekova et al., “Early Detection of the Breast Cancer using Infrared Technology - A Comprehensive Review,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 27, pp. 1-18, 2022.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[7] Mohammed Abdulla Salim Al Husaini et al., “Self-Detection of Early Breast Cancer Application with Infrared Camera and Deep Learning,” Electronics, vol. 10, no. 20, pp. 1-18, 2021.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[8] Mathew Jose Mammoottil et al., “Detection of Breast Cancer from Five-View Thermal Images using Convolutional Neural Networks,” Journal of Healthcare Engineering, vol. 2022, pp. 1-15, 2022.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[9] Usha Rani Gogoi et al., “Evaluating the Efficiency of Infrared Breast Thermography for Early Breast Cancer Risk Prediction in Asymptomatic Population,” Infrared Physics & Technology, vol. 99, pp. 201-211, 2019.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[10] Md Taimur Ahad et al., “A study on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Transfer Learning and Ensemble Model for Breast Cancer Detection,” arXiv Preprint, pp. 1-25, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[11] Satish G. Kandlikar et al., “Infrared Imaging Technology for Breast Cancer Detection - Current Status, Protocols and New Directions,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol,       108, pp. 2303-2320, 2017.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[12] N. Aidossov et al., “Evaluation of Integrated CNN, Transfer Learning, and BN with Thermography for Breast Cancer Detection,” Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1-17, 2023.
 [
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[13] Esraa A. Mohamed et al., “Deep Learning Model for Fully Automated Breast Cancer Detection System from Thermograms,” PLoS ONE vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1-20, 2022.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[14] Dalia N. Elsheakh et al., “Complete Breast Cancer Detection and Monitoring System by using Microwave Textile Based Antenna Sensors,” Biosensors, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1-24, 2023.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[15] Samir S. Yadav, and Shivajirao M. Jadhav, “Thermal Infrared Imaging based Breast Cancer Diagnosis using Machine Learning Techniques,” Multimedia Tools and Applications, vol. 81, no. 10, pp. 13139-13157, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[16] Somnath Chatterjee et al., “Breast Cancer Detection from Thermal Images using a Grunwald-Letnikov-Aided Dragonfly Algorithm-based Deep Feature Selection Method,” Computers in Biology and Medicine, vol. 141, 2022.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[17] Tina Parsamand et al., “Conceptualization of Breast Cancer and Attitudes toward Breast Cancer Screening: A Qualitative Study on Iranian and Australian Women,” Cancer Investigation, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 34-43, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[18] Soner Civilibal, Kerim Kursat Cevik, and Ahmet Bozkurt, “A Deep Learning Approach for Automatic Detection, Segmentation and Classification of Breast Lesions from Thermal Images,” Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 212, 2023.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[19] Nurduman Aidossov et al., “An Integrated Intelligent System for Breast Cancer Detection at Early Stages Using IR Images and Machine Learning Methods with Explainability,” SN Computer Science, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1-16, 2023.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[20] Jayagayathri Iyadurai et al., “An Extensive Review on Emerging Advancements in Thermography and Convolutional Neural Networks for Breast Cancer Detection,” Wireless Personal Communications, vol. 137, no. 3, pp. 1797-1821, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[21] Dharani, N.P., Govardhini Immadi, I. & Narayana, M.V., “Enhanced Deep Learning Model for Diagnosing Breast Cancer using Thermal Images,” Soft Computing, vol. 28, no. 13-14, pp. 8423-8434, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[22] P. Vijaya et al., “Flamingo Search Sailfish Optimizer based SqueezeNet for Detection of Breast Cancer using MRI Images,” Cancer Investigation, vol. 42, no. 9, pp. 745-768, 2024.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[23] Manasi B. Rakhunde, Shashank Gotarkar, and Sonali G. Choudhari, “Thermography as a Breast Cancer Screening Technique: A Review Article,” Cureus, vol. 14, no. 11, pp. 1-7, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[24] Rishav Pramanik, Payel Pramanik, and Ram Sarkar, “Breast Cancer Detection in Thermograms using a Hybrid of GA and GWO based Deep Feature Selection Method,” Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 219, 2023.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[25] Hasan Ucuza, Muhammet Baykara, and Zeynep Küçükakçalı, “Breast Cancer Diagnosis based on Thermography Images using Pre-Trained Networks,” The journal of Cognitive Systems, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 64-68, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[26] Dennies Tsietso, Abid Yahya, and Ravi Samikannu, “A Review on Thermal Imaging-based Breast Cancer Detection using Deep Learning,” Mobile Information Systems, vol. 2022, pp. 1-19, 2022.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[27] Mahnaz EtehadTavakol et al., “Breast Cancer Detection from Thermal Images using Bispectral Invariant Features,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 69, pp. 21-36, 2013.
[
CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]

[28]Sangwan Ramesh Kumar et al., “Strengthening Breast Cancer Screening Program through Health Education of Women and Capacity Building of Primary Healthcare Providers,” Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 11, 2023.
        [Google Scholar