# Context-aware stacked convolutional neural networks for classification of breast carcinomas in whole-slide histopathology images

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.03678 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.03678/

## Key facts

- Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 10 May 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Hierarchical Graph Representations in Digital Pathology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.11057/) (2021)
- [A Comprehensive Review of Computer-aided Whole-slide Image Analysis: from Datasets to Feature Extraction, Segmentation, Classification, and Detection Approaches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.10553/) (2021)
- [Differentiable Zooming for Multiple Instance Learning on Whole-Slide Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.12454/) (2022)
- [MCUa: Multi-level Context and Uncertainty aware Dynamic Deep Ensemble for Breast Cancer Histology Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.10709/) (2021)
- [Deep Learning in Breast Cancer Imaging: A Decade of Progress and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.06662/) (2023)
- [Learning Binary and Sparse Permutation-Invariant Representations for Fast and Memory Efficient Whole Slide Image Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.13653/) (2022)
- [A State-of-the-art Survey of Artificial Neural Networks for Whole-slide Image Analysis:from Popular Convolutional Neural Networks to Potential Visual Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.06243/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Automated classification of histopathological whole-slide images (WSI) of breast tissue requires analysis at very high resolutions with a large contextual area. In this paper, we present context-aware stacked convolutional neural networks (CNN) for classification of breast WSIs into normal/benign, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). We first train a CNN using high pixel resolution patches to capture cellular level information. The feature responses generated by this model are then fed as input to a second CNN, stacked on top of the first. Training of this stacked architecture with large input patches enables learning of fine-grained (cellular) details and global interdependence of tissue structures. Our system is trained and evaluated on a dataset containing 221 WSIs of H&E stained breast tissue specimens. The system achieves an AUC of 0.962 for the binary classification of non-malignant and malignant slides and obtains a three class accuracy of 81.3% for classification of WSIs into normal/benign, DCIS, and IDC, demonstrating its potentials for routine diagnostics.