Electromagnetic and Thermal Characterization of an Epidermal RFID Sensor Grid for Skin Temperature Monitoring During Microwave Hyperthermia

Abstract

Microwave hyperthermia is an emerging anticancer therapy that aims to improve the outcomes of radiation therapy and chemotherapy by applying high-power electromagnetic fields (EM) in the tumor region. However, a significant limitation is the possible occurrence of localized hot spots on the patient's skin due to the interaction with the EM fields. An epidermal RFID sensor grid for wireless and cost-effective skin temperature monitoring was previously introduced by the Authors to mitigate the risk. In this paper, the measurement setup for the full-system validation is presented as well as preliminary results concerning the electromagnetic and thermal characterization.