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Optimization of three-dimensional esophageal tumor ablation by simultaneous functioning of multiple electrodes

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Abstract

Radiofrequency ablation is a widely accepted minimal-invasive and effective local treatment for tumors. However, its current application in esophageal cancer treatment is limited to targeting thin and superficial lesions, such as Barrett's Esophagus. This study proposes an optimization method using multiple electrodes simultaneously to regulate the temperature field and achieve conformal ablation of tumors. A particle swarm optimization algorithm, coupled with a three-dimensional thermal ablation model, was developed to optimize the status of the functioning electrodes, the optimal voltage (Vopt), and treatment duration (ttre) for targeted esophageal tumors. This approach takes into account both the electrical and thermal interactions of the electrodes. The results indicate that for esophageal cancers at various stages, with thickness (c) ranging from 4.5 mm to 10.0 mm, major axis (a) ranging from 7.3 mm to 27.3 mm, and minor axis (b) equaling 7.3 mm or 27.3 mm, as well as non-symmetrical geometries, complete tumor coverage (over 99.5%) close to conformal can be achieved. This method illustrates possible precise conformal ablation of esophageal cancers and it may also be used for conformal treatments of other intraluminal lesions.

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Acknowledgements

The study is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52306105 and No. 51890892), the ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2023YFC2411402) and Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (No. YG2022QN090).

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  1. School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Hongying Wang, Jincheng Zou, Shiqing Zhao & Aili Zhang

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Contributions

Hongying Wang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Coding, Investigation, Writing-Original Draft, and Visualization. Jincheng Zou: Methodology and Visualization. Shiqing Zhao: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration, and Funding acquisition. Aili Zhang: Resources, Writing-Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration, and Funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Shiqing Zhao or Aili Zhang.

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Wang, H., Zou, J., Zhao, S. et al. Optimization of three-dimensional esophageal tumor ablation by simultaneous functioning of multiple electrodes. Med Biol Eng Comput 63, 793–806 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-024-03230-9

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