High-Precision Brain Tumor Segmentation using a Progressive Layered U-Net (PLU-Net) with Multi-Scale Data Augmentation and Attention Mechanisms on Multimodal Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Brain tumors present significant challenges in medical diagnosis and treatment, where early detection is crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality rates. This research introduces a novel deep learning model, the Progressive Layered U-Net (PLU-Net), designed to improve brain tumor segmentation accuracy from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. The PLU-Net extends the standard U-Net architecture by incorporating progressive layering, attention mechanisms, and multi-scale data augmentation. The progressive layering involves a cascaded structure that refines segmentation masks across multiple stages, allowing the model to capture features at different scales and resolutions. Attention gates within the convolutional layers selectively focus on relevant features while suppressing irrelevant ones, enhancing the model’s ability to delineate tumor boundaries. Additionally, multi-scale data augmentation techniques increase the diversity of training data and boost the model’s generalization capabilities. Evaluated on the BraTS 2021 dataset, the PLU-Net achieved state-of-the-art performance with a dice coefficient of 0.91, specificity of 0.92, sensitivity of 0.89, Hausdorff95 of 2.5, outperforming other modified U-Net architectures in segmentation accuracy. These results underscore the effectiveness of the PLU-Net in improving brain tumor segmentation from MRI scans, supporting clinicians in early diagnosis, treatment planning, and the development of new therapies.