A Preclinical System Prototype for Focused Microwave Thermal Therapy of the Breast

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.