Shaping and resizing of multifed slot radiators used in conformal microwave antenna arrays for hyperthermia treatment of large superficial diseases.

It has been recently shown that chestwall recurrence of breast cancer and many other superficial diseases can be successfully treated with the combination of radiation, chemotherapy and hyperthermia. Conformal microwave antenna array for hyperthermia treatment of large area superficial diseases can significantly increase patient comfort while at the same time facilitate treatment of larger and more irregularly shaped disease. A large number of small efficient antennas is preferable for improved control of heating, as the disease can be more accurately contoured and the lower power requirement correlates with system reliability, linearity and reduced cost. Thus, starting from the initially proposed square slot antennas, we investigated new designs for multi-fed slot antennas of several shapes that maximize slot perimeter while reducing radiating area, thus increasing antenna efficiency. Simulations were performed with commercial electromagnetic simulation software packages (Ansoft HFSS) to demonstrate that the antenna size reduction method is effective for several dual concentric conductor (DCC) aperture shapes and operating frequencies. The theoretical simulations allowed the development of a set of design rules for multi-fed DCC slot antennas that facilitate conformal heat treatments of irregular size and shape disease with large multi-element arrays. Independently on the shape, it is shown that the perimeter of 10cm at 915 MHz delivers optimal radiation pattern and efficiency. While the maximum radiation is obtained for a circular pattern the rectangular shape is the one that feels more efficiently the array space.