Multi-physic Numerical Study of Microwave Hyperthermia Treatment

Muntoni G.;Fanti A.;Montisci G.

2019-01-01

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Abstract

Microwave hyperthermia is the process of raising the temperature of tumoral cells in the range 40-46C, by means of electromagnetic radiation, without overheating the healthy tissues. Given the nature of the problem, which involves, other than electromagnetic radiation, a fluid dynamic component tied to the presence of a water bolus, and the heat transfer in a biological medium, a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. However, one of the key aspects of the hyperthermia problem that is commonly disregarded is the presence of the tumor and the relevance of its dielectric and biological characteristics. In this work, we propose a multi-physic numerical study of microwave hyperthermia treatment at 434 MHz taking into account the EM field generated by a circular patch antenna, the presence of running water inside a bolus in direct contact with a simple bi-layered phantom and a novel perfusion model of a tumor.