An Adaptive Hybrid Metaheuristic Algorithm for Lung Cancer in Pathological Image Segmentation

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Histopathological images are fundamental for the morphological diagnosis and subtyping of lung cancer. However, their high resolution, color diversity, and structural complexity make automated segmentation highly challenging. This study aims to address these challenges by developing a novel hybrid metaheuristic approach for multilevel image thresholding to enhance segmentation accuracy and computational efficiency. Methods: An adaptive hybrid metaheuristic algorithm, termed SCSOWOA, is proposed by integrating the Sand Cat Swarm Optimization (SCSO) algorithm with the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA). The algorithm combines the exploration capacity of SCSO with the exploitation strength of WOA in a sequential and adaptive manner. The model was evaluated on histopathological images of lung cancer from the LC25000 dataset with threshold levels ranging from 2 to 12, using PSNR, SSIM, and FSIM as performance metrics. Results: The proposed algorithm achieved stable and high-quality segmentation results, with average values of 27.9453 dB in PSNR, 0.8048 in SSIM, and 0.8361 in FSIM. At the threshold level of T = 12, SCSOWOA obtained the highest performance, with SSIM and FSIM scores of 0.9340 and 0.9542, respectively. Furthermore, it demonstrated the lowest average execution time of 1.3221 s, offering up to a 40% improvement in computational efficiency compared with other metaheuristic methods. Conclusions: The SCSOWOA algorithm effectively balances exploration and exploitation processes, providing high-accuracy, low-variance, and computationally efficient segmentation. These findings highlight its potential as a robust and practical solution for AI-assisted histopathological image analysis and lung cancer diagnosis systems.