Comparative analysis of thermal damage to laser-irradiated breast tumor based on Fourier conduction and non-Fourier heat conduction models: A numerical study

In recent decades, laser technology has been widely used in surgeries and thermal therapies. To ensure patient safety and enhance therapeutic effectiveness in laser applications, it is crucial to accurately analyze burn injuries during the treatment process. In this study, a bioheat transfer model that includes the effects of metabolic heat generation, capillary blood vessels, and relaxation times of heat flux and temperature gradient was developed to study the non-Fourier heat conduction behavior in 2-D spherical breast tumor during the laser hyperthermia process. By employing different heat conduction models and the Arrhenius burn integration, the temperature distribution and laser-induced thermal damage to tumors were obtained. The progression of burn injury in time and the effect of various parameters on it were investigated. It was observed that the DPL model provides more reliable results in comparison with the CV model in predicting thermal damage to bio-tissue when non-Fourier effects are taken into consideration. The results showed that increasing heat flux phase lag leads to severe thermal damage, earlier onset of empyrosis, and wider and deeper burn injury. However, a greater phase lag of temperature gradient results in lower and superficial thermal damage, milder burn, later onset of empyrosis, and smaller burned area. The effect of laser power density on the onset time of different degrees of burn and their sensitivity to input power were investigated, and the results were represented graphically. Finally, investigation of wave propagation in various tissues revealed that the wave propagation speed is not constant and reduces as time increases.