Laser Photothermal Therapy Simulation for Design of Breast Tumor Treatment Protocol

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a theoretical model to determine temperature elevations in a breast tumor embedded inside tissue and to design a treatment protocol using laser photothermal therapy. Theoretical simulations show that, to damage a 10 mm diameter tumor embedded inside a human breast model, a laser intensity of 24000 W/m2 at the skin surface with a laser spot of 10 mm in diameter needs to be implemented to achieve a minimal temperature within the tumor at 47C, a threshold selected for this study. The model is then used to characterize thermal damage inflicted on the breast tumor and to design a heating treatment protocol to maximally damage the tumor and minimize the collateral thermal damage. Results show that the heating time for causing irreversible thermal damage to the entire tumor is 916 seconds using the designed laser intensity and spot size.