THE QUANTIFICATION OF THERMAL DISSIPATIVE MECHANISMS FOR TUM

THERMAL DOSE AND A CONSTRAINT IN APPLICATOR DESIGN DETERMINATION OF THERMAL DOSIMETRY FOR THE EVALUATION OF NONINVASIVE AND INTERSTITIAL HYPERTHERMIA APPLICATORS FOR LARGE, DEEP-SEATED TUMORS REQUIRES ADEQUATE LOCAL AND DYNAMIC TISSUE THERMAL PROPERTY DATA. TISSUE PERFUSION IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN PLANNING AND EVALUATING HYPERTHERMIA THERAPY; ITS VARIATION AND RESPONSE TO CLINICAL INTERVENTION DETERMINES OPTIMAL COMBINED TREATMENT STRATEGIES WITH RADIO- OR CHEMOTHERAPY. YET, TO DATE, AN ACCURATE, CLINICALLY APPLICABLE MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT HAS NOT BEEN AVAILABLE DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF DEFINING A PROCEDURE WHICH CAN PROVIDE THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF INFORMATION REQUIRED. IN THIS PHASE I STUDY WE PROPOSE TO COMBINE TWO SEPARATE THERMAL PROBE METHODS TO PRODUCE A SIMULTANEOUS, INTEGRATED METHODOLOGY FOR THE LOCAL TRANSIENT QUANTIFICATION OF TISSUE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, DIFFUSIVITY, AND PERFUSION. EACH TECHNIQUE EMPLOYS A THERMISTOR PROBE, EMBEDDED IN TISSUE, TO DEDUCE THERMAL PROPERTIES; THE NOVEL POINT IN THIS PROPOSED STUDY IS THE OBSERVATION THAT EACH TECHNIQUE IS COMPATIBLE WITH AND COMPLEMENTARY TO THE OTHER. ONE EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE THEN CONTAINS IN EFFECT TWO EXPERIMENTS, EACH OF WHICH MAY BE OPTIMIZED SO AS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY QUANTIFY TISSUE CONDUCTION AND BLOOD FLOW. THE OBJECT OF THIS PHASE I FEASIBILITY STUDY IS TO ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY PERFORMANCE CRITERIA, EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL, AND DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURE FOR AN OPTIMAL TECHNIQUE. THESE RESULTS WILL THEN DETERMINE THE COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR THE INITIAL PORTION OF THE PHASE II PROGRAM.