Parameter modification and post-synthesis hydrothermal process were applied to tune the size and increase bulk order of CNP, resulting in increased photothermal and antioxidant activities, without affecting the morphological and colloidal properties.

Oncological microwave hyperthermia is a clinically proven sensitizer of radio- and chemo-therapies; it acts by selectively increasing the temperature of tumor cells by means of antenna applicators. Its current limitations mostly come from the inability to reliably predict, and hence control, temperature inside the patient during treatment, especially for deep-seated tumors. Simulations are employed in treatment planning, but due to related uncertainties invasive thermometry is necessary, usually via catheters. Being invasive, their use must be minimized and provides very limited spatial information. Here, we demonstrate an approach to obtain 3D temperature information in real time from few measurement points via massive use of high-performance simulations carried out prior to treatment. The proposed technique is tested both in a fully anthropomorphic in-silico scenario, and in an experimental controlled setting. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of the proposed method as a low-cost real-time temperature monitoring technique in cancer hyperthermia. Use with intra-luminal, minimally-invasive catheters is supported by the positive outcome experimentally obtained using data points directly acquired in the trachea-mimicking phantom structure.

Objective: Microwave hyperthermia is a clinically proven cancer treatment used in combination with conventional therapies to enhance the overall treatment outcome. It consists in selectively increasing the temperature of tumor cells to 40–44 °C by means of electromagnetic fields that are externally generated and coupled to the patient body via antenna applicators. The primary goal is to shape the power deposition (specific absorption rate, SAR) with focusing on the tumor region, and minimizing the risk of hotspots in the surrounding healthy tissues. Methods: For non-superficial tumors, phased-array antennas are used to focus the energy on the tumor. Finding patient-specific optimal antenna feeding coefficients represents an essential step to ensure an effective and safe administration of the heating. In this article, we present a way to optimize the array power transfer effectiveness (impedance matching) that does not deteriorate the spatial power deposition performance. A global optimization approach is adopted, using a cost function properly tailored to incorporate the active reflection coefficients of the array and the Hotspot-to-Target SAR Quotient (HTQ)—the latter being the standard in hyperthermia applications. Results: The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated in a scenario relevant to the treatment of tumors in the neck region. The results show that our method significantly improves antenna matching without compromising the HTQ, achieving values within the recommended limits. The performance of the proposed approach is also experimentally tested with full heating in a corresponding phantom. Conclusions: This study introduces an optimization approach that enhances phased-array antenna performance for hyperthermia treatments without affecting spatial power deposition.

The paper presents the development and investigation of distributed and a quasi-distributed fiber optic sensors for the real-time monitoring of radiations during cancer treatments. Both sensors rely on ad-hoc developed nanoparticle-doped optical fibers with enhanced sensitivity to radiation. The distributed sensor is interrogated with an OFDR-based instrument and allows the reconstruction of the spatial dose distribution along the fiber. The quasi-distributed sensor is implemented through fiber Bragg gratings inscribed with a femtosecond laser in the few-mode section of a single mode-multi mode-single mode interferometer.

The paper presents the design and preliminary experimental validation of a fiber laser with direct emission in the yellow. The active material is a Dy-doped custom-made phosphate fiber, which is pumped by high-power blue diode lasers emitting at 450 nm. A suitable model has been developed to optimize the laser behavior and validated with a low-power version of the laser cavity with femtosecond written Bragg grating mirrors.