A computational study of ultra-wideband versus narrowband microwave hyperthermia for breast cancer treatment

We present a computational study comparing the performance of narrowband (NB) microwave hyperthermia for breast cancer treatment with a recently proposed ultra-wideband (UWB) approach. Space-time beamforming is used to preprocess input signals from both UWB and NB sources. The train of UWB pulses or the NB sinusoidal signals are then transmitted simultaneously from multiple antennas into the breast. Performance is evaluated using finite-difference time-domain electromagnetic (EM) and thermal simulations with realistic numerical breast phantoms derived from magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of the breast. We use three methods of mapping MRI data to complex permittivity data to account for uncertainty in the embodiment of the dielectric properties transitions in heterogeneous breast tissue. EM power-density deposition profiles and temperature profiles are compared for the UWB and NB cases in the three different breast phantoms. Dominant mechanisms that influence the efficacy of focusing UWB and NB signals in the breast are identified. The results of this study suggest that, while NB focusing performs reasonably well when the excitation frequency is optimized, UWB focusing consistently performs better, offering the potential for tighter focusing and greater reduction of hot spots, particularly in breast tissue, which exhibits distinct dielectric-properties boundaries within the tissue heterogeneity.