Thesis Code: 20019
Thesis Type: Master Thesis for Telecommunication/Electronic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or equivalent
Research Area: Advanced Computing, Photonics and Electromagnetics (CPE)
Requirements
- MS students in Telecommunication Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or equivalent
- Basic knowledge of EM fields
- Experience with Matlab
- Good knowledge of linear algebra and linear systems
Description
Hyperthermia is a type of cancer treatment in which tumors are exposed to a supra-physiological temperature (42/43 °C) by means of proper antenna systems to sensitize cancer cells towards radiation and drugs [1]. Temperature control is crucial in hyperthermia treatments, to check the effectiveness of the heating in the target region and to avoid dangerous hotspots in the surrounding healthy tissues. In current clinical practice, temperature monitoring is achieved in an invasive manner, with temperature probes inserted into closed-tip catheters [2]. An extensive and innovative use of high-performance simulations carried out prior to treatment seems to be a promising way to produce accurate and reliable temperature maps during treatment from a minimal number of direct measurement points. This could provide dual benefit to the patient, yielding accurate temperature estimations in points where temperature is not known, and reducing the infection risk via a minimal use of catheters.
This thesis aims at implementing an efficient “library” of high-performance simulations of a numerical phantom, verifying the possibility to obtain reliable temperature maps of the whole region of interest from scarce data acquisition. A high-fidelity computable human phantom from the Virtual Population of the simulation software Sim4Life will be used for this study.
References
- R. Datta et al., “Local hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy and-/or chemotherapy: Recent advances and promises for the future,”, Cancer Treat. Rev., vol. 41, no. 9, pp. 742-53, 2015.
- M. Paulides et al., “Status quo and directions in deep head and neck hyperthermia,” Radiat. Oncol., vol. 11, no. 21, pp. 809-21, 2016.
Contact: send a resume with attached the list of exams to rossella.gaffoglio@linksfoundation.com and marco.righero@linksfoundation.com specifying the thesis code and title.