Optimum Design of Superficial Microwave Hyperthermia Treatment

Abstract

Microwave hyperthermia is focused on raising the temperature of cancerous tissues a few degrees above the norm, in order to induce cellular death within the tumor but avoiding excessive heating of normal tissues, at the same time. The success of this therapy is based on the concurrence of different physics processes tied to the electromagnetic radiation, to the fluid dynamic and to the bio-heat transfer. However, the characteristics of the tumor play an important role in the delivery of the therapy. In this work an optimum design of microwave hyperthermia treatment, from a numerical point of view, is presented, taking into account the multi-physic coupling and a blood perfusion model of a muscle tissue tumor.