Focused Ultrasound Surgery Of Breast Cancer: A Computational Study On A Realistic Patient Model

Focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) is a new energy-based therapeutic technique which has been recognized as a truly non-invasive surgical method. Since the ultrasonic energy is applied from an external transducer, FUS has the potential to improve both oncologic and cosmetic outcomes for breast cancer treatment. In the present study, we conducted a computational analysis on a realistic patient model to investigate the mechanism and the applicability of FUS in breast cancer treatment. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of a patient with breast tumor were used to provide a clinical model for finite element analysis (FEA) using COMSOL. Results from computational analysis clarify the acoustic and thermal mechanisms of FUS and suggest the way how this technique can be carried out during the breast cancer treatment.