Joint Optimization of Antenna System Matching and Specific Absorption Rate Focusing in Microwave Hyperthermia Cancer Treatment

Objective: Microwave hyperthermia is a clinically proven cancer treatment used in combination with conventional therapies to enhance the overall treatment outcome. It consists in selectively increasing the temperature of tumor cells to 40–44 °C by means of electromagnetic fields that are externally generated and coupled to the patient body via antenna applicators. The primary goal is to shape the power deposition (specific absorption rate, SAR) with focusing on the tumor region, and minimizing the risk of hotspots in the surrounding healthy tissues. Methods: For non-superficial tumors, phased-array antennas are used to focus the energy on the tumor. Finding patient-specific optimal antenna feeding coefficients represents an essential step to ensure an effective and safe administration of the heating. In this article, we present a way to optimize the array power transfer effectiveness (impedance matching) that does not deteriorate the spatial power deposition performance. A global optimization approach is adopted, using a cost function properly tailored to incorporate the active reflection coefficients of the array and the Hotspot-to-Target SAR Quotient (HTQ)—the latter being the standard in hyperthermia applications. Results: The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated in a scenario relevant to the treatment of tumors in the neck region. The results show that our method significantly improves antenna matching without compromising the HTQ, achieving values within the recommended limits. The performance of the proposed approach is also experimentally tested with full heating in a corresponding phantom. Conclusions: This study introduces an optimization approach that enhances phased-array antenna performance for hyperthermia treatments without affecting spatial power deposition