Use of Interstitial Antenna for Brain Tumors Hyperthermia

Abstract

Hyperthermia cancer therapy is used in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, since the cytotoxic effect of anti-tumor drugs is enhanced and the cell killing ability of ionizing radiation is potentiated by hyperthermia. For brain tumors, the antennas used for heating are implantable interstitial antennas, usually some forms of dipole antennas fed from a coaxial line. The specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution in the brain due to the near field of the antennas is required to be localized and uniform within the tumor, weak outside the tumor.

The main objective of this thesis is to introduce a design of an interstitial short dipole antenna capable of producing a localized regional heating for brain tumors hyperthermia. The proposed antenna is then tested in treating brain tumors. '

The analysis of implanting the antenna inside the human head for hyperthermia treatment is done using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulation programs.