Topology Optimization in Hyperthermia Therapy

Abstract

Hyperthermia therapy is a medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to sligh- tly higher temperatures to damage and kill cancer cells or to make cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and certain anti-cancer drugs. To selectively heat the cancer region, antennas are positioned around of patient, emitting electromagnetic waves. One of the challen- ges in thermal therapy is delivering the appropriate amount of heat to the correct part of the patient’s body. In this work, we develop a new optimization method, using topological derivative, which finds the best distribution of heat sources generated by antennas aiming at increasing the temperature in the region of the tumor. Numerical results are presented illustrating possible ap- plication of the proposed methodology.