Fusion-Based Brain Tumor Classification Using Deep Learning and Explainable AI, and Rule-Based Reasoning

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Filvantorkaman, Melika, Piri, Mohsen, Torkaman, Maral Filvan, Zabihi, Ashkan, Moradi, Hamidreza
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912532273299456
author Filvantorkaman, Melika
Piri, Mohsen
Torkaman, Maral Filvan
Zabihi, Ashkan
Moradi, Hamidreza
author_facet Filvantorkaman, Melika
Piri, Mohsen
Torkaman, Maral Filvan
Zabihi, Ashkan
Moradi, Hamidreza
contents Accurate and interpretable classification of brain tumors from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is critical for effective diagnosis and treatment planning. This study presents an ensemble-based deep learning framework that combines MobileNetV2 and DenseNet121 convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using a soft voting strategy to classify three common brain tumor types: glioma, meningioma, and pituitary adenoma. The models were trained and evaluated on the Figshare dataset using a stratified 5-fold cross-validation protocol. To enhance transparency and clinical trust, the framework integrates an Explainable AI (XAI) module employing Grad-CAM++ for class-specific saliency visualization, alongside a symbolic Clinical Decision Rule Overlay (CDRO) that maps predictions to established radiological heuristics. The ensemble classifier achieved superior performance compared to individual CNNs, with an accuracy of 91.7%, precision of 91.9%, recall of 91.7%, and F1-score of 91.6%. Grad-CAM++ visualizations revealed strong spatial alignment between model attention and expert-annotated tumor regions, supported by Dice coefficients up to 0.88 and IoU scores up to 0.78. Clinical rule activation further validated model predictions in cases with distinct morphological features. A human-centered interpretability assessment involving five board-certified radiologists yielded high Likert-scale scores for both explanation usefulness (mean = 4.4) and heatmap-region correspondence (mean = 4.0), reinforcing the framework's clinical relevance. Overall, the proposed approach offers a robust, interpretable, and generalizable solution for automated brain tumor classification, advancing the integration of deep learning into clinical neurodiagnostics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_06891
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Fusion-Based Brain Tumor Classification Using Deep Learning and Explainable AI, and Rule-Based Reasoning
Filvantorkaman, Melika
Piri, Mohsen
Torkaman, Maral Filvan
Zabihi, Ashkan
Moradi, Hamidreza
Image and Video Processing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Accurate and interpretable classification of brain tumors from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is critical for effective diagnosis and treatment planning. This study presents an ensemble-based deep learning framework that combines MobileNetV2 and DenseNet121 convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using a soft voting strategy to classify three common brain tumor types: glioma, meningioma, and pituitary adenoma. The models were trained and evaluated on the Figshare dataset using a stratified 5-fold cross-validation protocol. To enhance transparency and clinical trust, the framework integrates an Explainable AI (XAI) module employing Grad-CAM++ for class-specific saliency visualization, alongside a symbolic Clinical Decision Rule Overlay (CDRO) that maps predictions to established radiological heuristics. The ensemble classifier achieved superior performance compared to individual CNNs, with an accuracy of 91.7%, precision of 91.9%, recall of 91.7%, and F1-score of 91.6%. Grad-CAM++ visualizations revealed strong spatial alignment between model attention and expert-annotated tumor regions, supported by Dice coefficients up to 0.88 and IoU scores up to 0.78. Clinical rule activation further validated model predictions in cases with distinct morphological features. A human-centered interpretability assessment involving five board-certified radiologists yielded high Likert-scale scores for both explanation usefulness (mean = 4.4) and heatmap-region correspondence (mean = 4.0), reinforcing the framework's clinical relevance. Overall, the proposed approach offers a robust, interpretable, and generalizable solution for automated brain tumor classification, advancing the integration of deep learning into clinical neurodiagnostics.
title Fusion-Based Brain Tumor Classification Using Deep Learning and Explainable AI, and Rule-Based Reasoning
topic Image and Video Processing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06891