Classification of White Blood Cells Using Machine and Deep Learning Models: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models have been employed to significantly improve analyses of medical imagery, with these approaches used to enhance the accuracy of prediction and classification. Model predictions and classifications assist diagnoses of various cancers and tumors. This review presents an in-depth analysis of modern techniques applied within the domain of medical image analysis for white blood cell classification. The methodologies that use blood smear images, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-rays, and similar medical imaging domains are identified and discussed, with a detailed analysis of ML/DL techniques applied to the classification of white blood cells (WBCs) representing the primary focus of the review. The data utilized in this research has been extracted from a collection of 136 primary papers that were published between the years 2006 and 2023. The most widely used techniques and best-performing white blood cell classification methods are identified. While the use of ML and DL for white blood cell classification has concurrently increased and improved in recent year, significant challenges remain - 1) Availability of appropriate datasets remain the primary challenge, and may be resolved using data augmentation techniques. 2) Medical training of researchers is recommended to improve current understanding of white blood cell structure and subsequent selection of appropriate classification models. 3) Advanced DL networks including Generative Adversarial Networks, R-CNN, Fast R-CNN, and faster R-CNN will likely be increasingly employed to supplement or replace current techniques.