Analysis of nonlinear heat transfer model in multi-layered tissues containing a liver tumor during magnetic fluid hyperthermia

Abstract

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a very effective and less invasive treatment method for healing various tumors. Due to the intense heterogeneity and complexity of living tissue, we have considered blood perfusion and thermal conductivity as temperature-dependent. This study examines the behavior of temperature patterns in sphere-shaped living tissues during MFH treatment by using the nonlinear bioheat model that accounts the influence of key variables on heating behavior. Because of its nonlinearity, this problem is simulated using a combination of bvp4c and finite difference methods. This numerical technique is validated by comparing its findings with an analytical solution in a particular case, and it is seen that the outcomes generated from both methods showed a significant level of resemblance. Further, we conducted a comparison between the outcomes of our model and the experimental results, which confirms the reliability of the present nonlinear model. The findings of our study indicate that the temperature-dependent blood perfusion rate and thermal conductivity significantly influence the temperature within tumor area, but have minimal impact on the temperature in the surrounding region during MFH therapy. Further analysis reveals that the influence of quadratically temperature-dependent thermal conductivity is more significant compared to the linearly temperature-dependent forms of thermal conductivity. Additionally, the radius of nanoparticles and magnetic field intensity play a critical role in attaining hyperthermia temperature within the tumor area. © Akadémiai Kiadó Zrt 2025.