Attempt at Visualizing Breast Cancer with X-ray Dark Field Imaging

X-ray dark-field imaging (DFI) can clearly visualize breast cancer phantoms and cancer cell nests, stroma, fat tissue, ductus lactiferi, muscle, collagen fibers at stroma and calcification in a 2.8-mm-thick breast cancer pathological specimen. The system comprises a Bragg asymmetric-cut monochro-collimator and a 2.124-mm-thick Si 440 Laue diffraction analyzer at 35 keV. Both optical elements are Floating Zone made silicon crystals. The view size of 33 mm (H) ×19.5 mm (V) and the spatial resolution of 10 µm or better are obtainable at the vertical wiggler beamline BL14B at the Photon Factory.