Investigation of nanoparticle properties in enhancing hyperthermia treatment

Nanoparticles have the potential to enhance energy localization in hyperthermia treatment. The use of nanoparticles allow the control of the electrical properties of tumors. Investigation is provided of the effect of material properties on the specific absorption rate (SAR) inside the tumor at various frequency values. Computational analysis is performed under SEMCAD X environment, considering an array of four antipodal Vivaldi antennas surrounding a human brain phantom. The results reveal that SAR is increased as the permittivity of the tumor is decreased. Moreover, SAR is increased as the electrical conductivity is increased with maximum value occurring at a particular conductivity value that ranges from 2 S/m to 10 S/m depending on frequency values. SAR is also shown to be maximized when the magnetic conductivity is equal to the electrical conductivity for the tumor. Permeability values are shown also to affect SAR with significant dependence on the frequency of operation.