title: A preclinical system prototype for focused microwave thermal therapy of the breast.
abstract: A preclinical prototype of a transcutaneous thermal therapy system has been developed for the targeted treatment of breast cancer cells using focused microwaves as an adjuvant to radiation, chemotherapy, and high-intensity-focused ultrasound. The prototype system employs a 2-D array of tapered microstrip patch antennas operating at 915 MHz to focus continuous-wave microwave energy transcutaneously into the pendent breast suspended in a coupling medium. Prior imaging studies are used to ascertain the material properties of the breast tissue, and these data are incorporated into a multiphysics model. Time-reversal techniques are employed to find a solution (relative amplitudes and phase) for focusing at a given location. Modeling tests of this time-reversal focusing method have been performed, which demonstrate good targeting accuracy within heterogeneous breast tissue. Experimental results using the laboratory prototype to perform focused heating in tissue-mimicking gelatin phantoms have demonstrated 1.5-cm-diameter focal spot sizes and differential heating at the desired focus sufficient to achieve an antitumor effect confined to the target region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122, USA. john.stang@gmail.com
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stang
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Mahta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging