Focused Microwave Clinical System for Targeted Delivery of Hyperthermia Treatment in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Goal: A focused clinical hyperthermia (HT) system is presented for treatment of locally advanced breast cancer. Methods: The system consists of water-cooled phased array (PA) applicator integrated in treatment bed controlled by a programmable 434 MHz microwave source and patient-specific HT treatment planning (HTP) system with fiber-optic thermometry and user interface for system control and monitoring. Results: PA applicator performance in patient-derived breast models and experiments in layered cylindrical phantom with HTP demonstrate the ability to deliver focused heating with low active reflection coefficients and channel power consumption. Conclusions: Thermal regulation and low cross coupling between PA elements significantly reduced the power consumption for focused HT, confirming that the proposed system is affordable and rugged for clinical adoption.