Abstract: An inverse optimization method, applied in hyperthermia to search for the ideal heating physical configurations in the expected temperature distribution of heat-field, is proposed. First, in order to realize the target temperature distribution of tumor tissues and avoid the over-heating of healthy tissues, an objective function and some related weight coefficients are introduced. Next, based on the 2-D finite element method(FEM) and the solutions of Laplace and Pennes' bio-heat transfer equations, the genetic algorithm(GA) recursively modifies the heating conditions to minimize the objective function, that is, the difference between the calculated temperature distribution and the expected one, satisfactory simulation results are demonstrated in 3-aplicator RF-capacitive hyperthermia of a simplified non-homogeneous human model obtained from a X-CT human slice. This technology of target heat-field temperature control is believed to have an important practical value in the design of hyperthermia devices and clinical applications.

Key words: hyperthermia, effective heating field, inverse optimization method, finite element method (FEM), genetic algorithms (GA)