SCKansformer: Fine-Grained Classification of Bone Marrow Cells via Kansformer Backbone and Hierarchical Attention Mechanisms

TL;DR

SCKansformer is a novel deep learning model that combines hierarchical attention mechanisms and specialized encoders to improve fine-grained classification of bone marrow blood cells, aiding in leukemia diagnosis.

Contribution

The paper introduces SCKansformer, a new model integrating Kansformer, SCConv, and global-local attention to enhance feature extraction and interpretability in bone marrow cell classification.

Findings

Outperforms existing methods on multiple datasets

Improves classification accuracy and interpretability

Reduces feature redundancy in high-dimensional microimages

Abstract

The incidence and mortality rates of malignant tumors, such as acute leukemia, have risen significantly. Clinically, hospitals rely on cytological examination of peripheral blood and bone marrow smears to diagnose malignant tumors, with accurate blood cell counting being crucial. Existing automated methods face challenges such as low feature expression capability, poor interpretability, and redundant feature extraction when processing high-dimensional microimage data. We propose a novel fine-grained classification model, SCKansformer, for bone marrow blood cells, which addresses these challenges and enhances classification accuracy and efficiency. The model integrates the Kansformer Encoder, SCConv Encoder, and Global-Local Attention Encoder. The Kansformer Encoder replaces the traditional MLP layer with the KAN, improving nonlinear feature representation and interpretability. The SCConv Encoder, with its Spatial and Channel Reconstruction Units, enhances feature representation and reduces redundancy. The Global-Local Attention Encoder combines Multi-head Self-Attention with a Local Part module to capture both global and local features. We validated our model using the Bone Marrow Blood Cell Fine-Grained Classification Dataset (BMCD-FGCD), comprising over 10,000 samples and nearly 40 classifications, developed with a partner hospital. Comparative experiments on our private dataset, as well as the publicly available PBC and ALL-IDB datasets, demonstrate that SCKansformer outperforms both typical and advanced microcell classification methods across all datasets. Our source code and private BMCD-FGCD dataset are available at https://github.com/JustlfC03/SCKansformer.