In-Silico study of microwave ablation applicators of different size for breast cancer treatment

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in females around the world, surgery is the preferred treatment for this disease in early stages, however there are some emergent treatment options with less clinical and cosmetic repercussions, such as the microwave ablation. In order to determine an appropriate design for applicators that could be used for the treatment of breast cancer, an in-silico study of microwave ablation of breast cancer was conducted to show the difference between micro-coaxial applicators constructed with two different types of coaxial cable (UT-47 and UT-85) utilizing the same design in three possible scenarios: breast tissue, tumor tissue and tumor surrounded by breast tissue. The simulation was performed using COMSOL Multiphysics commercial software, due to its capabilities to simulate the electromagnetic and thermals effects. A slot type applicator was selected because of its ease of manufacture and the available literature on it. The results show a better coupling for the applicator constructed with the UT-47 cable, especially in the phantom tumor surrounded by breast phantom test. Nevertheless, is necessary to validate these results in ex-vivo breast cancer tissue.