Automated detection of leukemia in blood microscopic images using image processing techniques and unique features: Cell count and area ratio

Abstract

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the body’s blood-forming tissue, where the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells (WBCs) that do not function properly. The diagnosis of leukemia is typically done by a trained expert who visually observes unique features and determines the type of cancer. However, digital image processing techniques have been improving in the healthcare system, particularly in diagnosing different types of diseases and helping doctors make treatment decisions. This paper presents a system for detecting leukemia in blood microscopic images and classifying them as normal or abnormal (with leukemia) automatically. Two main techniques were used: counting the number of WBCs around red blood cells (RBCs) and measuring the average area of WBCs around a bounding box around each cell. The classification accuracy was calculated at 91.7 and 88.8% for the two techniques, respectively. These techniques can be used as features in machine learning applications, and the system presented is faster and more efficient than traditional diagnostic processes used in hospitals.

Keywords:

• Blood cancer
• digital image processing
• leukemia
• microscopic images
• microscopic image’s features

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Jin Zhongmin, Xian Jiao Tong University (China) and Leeds University.(UK), CHINA

SUBJECTS:

• Biology
• Computer Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Mustafa Malullah Najm and Khetam Sameer Jalal for their help in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.