Research Collaboration Yields New Methods to Treat Tumors

In a collaborative effort by two engineering researchers at the University of Wisconsin, a new technology that could yield less invasive tumor-ablation therapies for cancer patients may soon be available. Current treatments “cook” cancerous tumors when surgeons insert an antenna into tissue to deliver electromagnetic energy, which heats up and kills the malignant cells. However, these antennas must be relatively large in size in order to produce the low-frequency radiation believed to be necessary for effective treatment. Researchers ran two simulations in order to look more closely at the potential for ablation systems that could operate at higher frequencies. Contrary to popular belief, they discovered that high-frequency microwaves could offer a comparable ablation zone to existing low-frequency antennas. “Sometimes surgeons need to treat a tumor where the direct line of sight from the surface of the body would route you through healthy tissue that you wouldn’t want to stick a need through,” said one of the study’s engineering researchers. “So if we can design the antenna to be small enough to route around bends, we open up a whole new realm of treatment possibilities.” To read more about this research, click here.