Lead-cnn: lightweight enhanced dimension reduction convolutional neural network for brain tumor classification

• Published in: International journal of machine learning and cybernetics Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 6627 - 6646
• Main Authors: Khan, Saif Ur Rehman, Asif, Sohaib, Bilal, Omair, Rehman, Hafeez Ur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accuracy; Artificial Intelligence; Artificial neural networks; Brain; Brain cancer; Cancer; Classification; Complex Systems; Computational Intelligence; Computing costs; Control; Datasets; Diagnosis; Engineering; Image classification; Machine learning; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mechatronics; Medical imaging; Neural networks; Original Article; Pattern Recognition; Robotics; Systems Biology; Tumors; Brain tumor; Dimension reduction; Lightweight; Classification
• ISSN: 1868-8071; 1868-808X
• DOI: 10.1007/s13042-025-02637-6

In many nations, brain tumors are among the most serious medical conditions affecting both adults and children. Timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial, as the life of a patient may be shortened if brain tumors are not identified promptly. When brain tumors are diagnosed accurately and promptly, patients can receive the appropriate treatment. One of the challenging aspects of dealing with brain tumors is their diversity, making it difficult to categorize them accurately due to their varying characteristics. Deep learning (DL) models have emerged as a valuable tool in classifying brain tumors into distinct groups. However, these models face challenges related to accuracy and computational cost, necessitating advancements in brain image classification. Our primary aim is to develop a lightweight convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture that offers high efficiency, we incorporate a modified dimension reduction block with CNN to detect brain cancers with minimal computational resources while maintaining a high level of accuracy. In this research, we introduce a novel lightweight network called LEAD-CNN, designed specifically for the accurate and reliable identification of brain cancers from magnetic resonance images (MRI). Our approach begins by evaluating the effectiveness of several pre-trained DL models, including ResNet-101, VGG-19, MobileNet-V1, and DenseNet-201, which have been recommended for the classification of medical images. Subsequently, we propose a dimension reduction base CNN architecture with a lightweight design aimed at achieving a low false-negative rate in tumor image classification for patients. To assess the performance of the proposed model, we utilize a benchmark brain MRI dataset (Kaggle) comprising 7023 images, encompassing three different types of brain tumors long with normal brain images. Our experimental results are demonstrating an overall classification accuracy of 98.70%, with an average recall, F1-score, and precision of 98.60%, 98.62, and 98.65%, respectively. These findings underscore the robustness and reliability of the LEAD-CNN model. The results reveal that the LEAD-CNN model surpasses current techniques, offering a valuable tool to aid medical practitioners in the diagnosis of brain cancers.