Evaluation of internal temperature of bioequivalent agar phantom in magnetic hyperthermia

Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) is a promising cancer treatment that kills cancer cells by heating them, However, its clinical utilization is limited owing to challenges in temperature control and measurement. We attempted to clarify the heat generation and heat transfer characteristics of MNPs by measuring the temperature field inside a sample using the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) method, a fiber-optic thermometer, and thermocouples, and to evaluate the potential risks and effectiveness of MHT. Heating experiments were conducted by fixing a heated sample under a high-frequency AC magnetic field, and the temperature field inside the sample at the end of the experiment and the temperature time series changes during the heating experiment were measured. From the heating experiments, it was confirmed that conditions exist under which MNPs efficiently generate heat, with changes in frequency and concentration. Measurements of the sample internal temperature field confirmed that the heat generated from the magnetic agar is transferred to the bioequivalent agar phantom. The experimental results suggest the possibility of achieving complete healing by magnetic hyperthermia treatment alone and the risk of cell damage to normal cells during treatment implementation.