Model-Based Optimization and Real-Time Control for Laser Treatment of Heterogeneous Soft Tissues

Predicting the outcome of thermotherapies in cancer treatment requires accurate characterization of the bioheat transfer processes in soft tissues. However, due to the biological and structural complexity of tumor (soft tissue) composition and vascu-lature, it is very challenging to determine tissue properties when reliable prognosis need to be made. Efficient algorithms employing in vivo thermal measurements to determine heterogeneous thermal tissues properties in conjunction with a detailed sensitivity analysis can produce essential information for model development and optimal control. The goals of this paper are to present a general form of the bioheat equation for heterogeneous soft tissues, review models and algorithms developed for cell damage, heat shock proteins, and soft tissues with nanoparticle inclusion, and demonstrate an overall computational strategy of developing a laser treatment paradigm with the ability to perform real-time robust calibrations with optimal control. Key words: bioheat transfer model, nonlinearity, parameter estimation, soft tissue properties, nanoparticle inclusion, parallel computing