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Area Engineering
Field (SAR) and temperature focusing in microwave cancer hyperthermia
Thesis in external company
keywords HYPERTHERMIA FOR CANCER TREATMENT, NUMERICAL SIMUL
Reference persons GIUSEPPE VECCHI
External reference persons Rossella Gaffoglio, Giorgio Giordanengo, Links Foundation
Research Groups Applied Electromagnetics
Thesis type MASTER THESIS
Description Microwave hyperthermia is a medical therapy currently employed in the clinic for cancer treatment, and whose associated research is translational. In it, tumor cells are selectively exposed to a supra-physiological temperature (42/43 °C) using proper antenna systems [1]. For internal tumors, this is currently achieved by means of an array of antennas equipped with a proper cooling system (the water bolus) to avoid overheating of the skin [2]. Since the effectiveness of a hyperthermia treatment is strictly dependent on the quality of the heating process, a treatment planning is fundamental to optimally set the amplitudes and phases of the applied signals. For this reason, different optimization techniques aimed at maximizing the specific absorption rate (SAR) or, directly, the temperature in the target region have been implemented, and much research is still devoted to make these techniques more effective, faster, and suitable for real-time applications.
This thesis aims at optimizing the microwave heating of a target placed in a phantom of the neck region, achieved with a circular array of antennas, with both simulations and experimental measurements.
1.N. R. Datta et al., “Local hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy and-/or chemotherapy: Recent advances and promises for the future,”, Cancer Treat. Rev., vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 742-53, 2015.
2. M. M. Paulides et al., “Status quo and directions in deep head and neck hyperthermia,” Radiat. Oncol., vol. 11, no. 21, pp. 809-21, 2016.
See also https://linksfoundation.com/lavora-con-noi/proposte-di-tesi/
Notes Expected duration: 6 person-months
The thesis will be developed at Fondazione LINKS, Antenna and EMC Lab.
Deadline 16/05/2025
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