Improved Modeling of Temperature Evolution during Lung Cancer Tumor Thermal Ablation

Abstract

Microwave ablation (MWA) represents one of the most powerful tools in cancer treatment. This therapeutic modality process is governed by the temperature and absorbed dose of radiation of the cell tissue. This study was performed to control the temperature effect using simulation during the MWA thermal damage of lung tumor. For this reason, a two-dimensional (2D) computational modeling generated for adaptive lung tissue was designed and analyzed using the finite element method (FEM). Different approaches, such as first-order Arrhenius rate equations, Maxwell equations, and the bioheat equation, have been used to simulate necrosis in cells. To control the heat, a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller was used to moderate the input microwave power source and to maintain the temperature of the target tip at a lower level of the initial temperature data. Furthermore, full cancer tissue necrosis was also evaluated by processing time and thermal damage fraction. The obtained data proved that the target tip temperature was affected by the temperature distribution and specific absorption rate (SAR). However, a specific treatment period of tumor ablation is required to control and decrease the damage of surrounding healthy tissue to ensure a safe operation without any risk.

Keywords

• lung tumor
• microwave ablation
• PID controller
• finite element method