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Enhancement of skin tumor laser hyperthermia with Ytterbium nanoparticles: numerical simulation

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Biomedical Materials
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Zamrood Asos Othman at Salahaddin University - Erbil
Zamrood Asos Othman
Yousif Hassan at Salahaddin University - Erbil
Yousif Hassan
Abdulkarim Y Karim
Abdulkarim Y Karim
Abdulkarim Y Karim
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Abstract and Figures

Laser hyperthermia therapy (HT) has emerged as a well-established method for treating cancer, yet it poses unique challenges in comprehending heat transfer dynamics within both healthy and cancerous tissues due to their intricate nature. This study investigates laser HT therapy as a promising avenue for addressing skin cancer. Employing two distinct near-infrared (NIR) laser beams at 980 nm, we analyze temperature variations within tumors, employing Pennes’ bioheat transfer equation as our fundamental investigative framework. Furthermore, our study delves into the influence of Ytterbium nanoparticles (YbNPs) on predicting temperature distributions in healthy and cancerous skin tissues. Our findings reveal that the application of YbNPs using a Gaussian beam shape results in a notable maximum temperature increase of 5 °C within the tumor compared to nanoparticle-free heating. Similarly, utilizing a flat top beam alongside YbNPs induces a temperature rise of 3 °C. While this research provides valuable insights into utilizing YbNPs with a Gaussian laser beam configuration for skin cancer treatment, a more thorough understanding could be attained through additional details on experimental parameters such as setup, exposure duration, and specific implications for skin cancer therapy.
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Biomed. Mater. 19 (2024) 035021 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-605X/ad3535
Biomedical Materials
RECEIVED
17 November 2023
REVISED
23 February 2024
ACC EPT ED FOR PUB LICATI ON
18 March 2024
PUBLISHED
28 March 2024
PAPER
Enhancement of skin tumor laser hyperthermia with Ytterbium
nanoparticles: numerical simulation
Zamrood A Othman1,∗, Yousif M Hassan1and Abdulkarim Y Karim2
1Department of Physics, College of Science, Salahaddin University -Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
2Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University -Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
∗Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail: zmrood.othman@su.edu.krd
Keywords: beam shapes of laser, cylindrical bioheat equation, laser hyperthermia, finite difference method, YbNPs
Abstract
Laser hyperthermia therapy (HT) has emerged as a well-established method for treating cancer, yet
it poses unique challenges in comprehending heat transfer dynamics within both healthy and
cancerous tissues due to their intricate nature. This study investigates laser HT therapy as a
promising avenue for addressing skin cancer. Employing two distinct near-infrared (NIR) laser
beams at 980 nm, we analyze temperature variations within tumors, employing Pennes’ bioheat
transfer equation as our fundamental investigative framework. Furthermore, our study delves into
the influence of Ytterbium nanoparticles (YbNPs) on predicting temperature distributions in
healthy and cancerous skin tissues. Our findings reveal that the application of YbNPs using a
Gaussian beam shape results in a notable maximum temperature increase of 5 ◦C within the tumor
compared to nanoparticle-free heating. Similarly, utilizing a flat top beam alongside YbNPs
induces a temperature rise of 3 ◦C. While this research provides valuable insights into utilizing
YbNPs with a Gaussian laser beam configuration for skin cancer treatment, a more thorough
understanding could be attained through additional details on experimental parameters such as
setup, exposure duration, and specific implications for skin cancer therapy.
1. Introduction
Hyperthermia is described as a temporary abnormal
increase in the temperature of a specific body part
[1]. In the context of hyperthermia (HT), it is neces-
sary to raise the temperature of the specific tissue to a
range between 46 and 50 degrees Celsius, with the aim
of causing cell death by either apoptosis or necrosis
[2,3]. The thermal effect generated at high temper-
atures offers a viable route for targeting and inca-
pacitating diseased cells, increasing their susceptibil-
ity to additional therapeutic modalities such as radi-
ation therapy or chemotherapy. This method has sig-
nificant potential for selectively targeting malignant
tissues while minimizing collateral damage to adja-
cent healthy cells. Normal tissue is more resistant to
heat shock than cancer cells due to increased perfu-
sion and heat transmission. Furthermore, HT ther-
apy does not increase the expression of the apoptosis-
signaling protein p53 in normal tissue. HT increases
the generation of reactive oxygen species, leading
to cellular damage and death in cancer cells [4–6].
Exposing tumors to HT causes a certain kind of cel-
lular protein to change its structure, leading to its
aggregation with other proteins that are susceptible
to aggregation [7].
Hyperthermia treatment is classified into three
categories: whole-body HT, regional HT, and local
hyperthermia (LHT) [8,9]. LHT enables the tar-
geted treatment of limited regions while minim-
izing damage to surrounding healthy tissues [10].
Hyperthermia therapies are classified into two types:
photothermia and magnetothermia [11]. Magnetic
nanoparticles possess distinctive characteristics that
allow for the extended positioning of the heat source
deep inside the tumour by intratumoral injection
guided by imaging. On the contrary, magnetic HT
is still in the early stages of clinical assessment since
randomized studies have not been conducted for this
treatment, so its full potential has to be completely
© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd
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