Patient-Specific Optimization of Radio Frequency Ablation Procedure for Breast Cancer Treatment

Radio-frequency ablation (RFA) has gained a lot of interest recently as a promising minimally invasive technique that uses high ablative temperatures to treat deep-seated malignant tumors, such as breast cancer. RFA treatment outcomes might vary depending on how well the probes are positioned into the tumor and surrounding tissues and the procedural plan and implementation. To this end, a procedural plan should be developed for the best clinical outcomes. This study aims to determine the optimal conductive length, diameter, insertion angle of the probe, and the applied voltage, as well as the duration of the procedure, to assist the surgeon in developing the most efficient surgical plan for a given patient-specific geometry. Following the reconstruction of the breast and tumor geometry from MRI data, the outcome was optimized by running several Finite-Element method (FEM) simulations with different probe and probe placement settings. The tumor’s size, shape, and location are all considered throughout the optimization process, along with the adjacent tissues’ thermal properties and perfusion rates. Based on the patient-specific geometry, the results led to an exceptionally reliable forecast of the ablation procedure, which produced maximal destruction of tumor cells and minimal healthy cell damage. Applying this work to develop personalized RFA planning techniques can increase treatment effectiveness and decrease related safety-associated risks.