Finite element modeling and analysis of human breast tissue for electrochemotherapy

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States of America. It accounts for nearly 1 out of four deaths. Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. With such a high rate of incidence, there is clearly a need for additional complementary/supplementary, and alternate treatments, especially for in-operable tumors and chemo- and radio-resistive patients. Electrochemotherapy, the method by which high intensity, short duration electrical voltage pulses are used to temporarily open pores of cells to enhance the uptake of the chemodrug, is gaining popularity in drug delivery for cancer treatment. This paper aims at providing a model by which breast cancer tissues can be studied and analyzed for treatment by electroporation. Maxwell 13, an Ansoft software package is used for 2D simulation of electrodes and tumor tissues. Suitable electrode models are developed for treatment of invasive and in-situ breast cancer. Finite element analysis of these models demonstrate the electric field intensity and distribution in the tumors. Effects of various electrode types are studied. For large tumors, multi-electrode arrays are used to cover more area compared to currently existing needle arrays. These results will help in electrode design for clinical applications in the treatment of larger tumors using electrical pulse-mediated drug delivery techniques.