Microwave Ablation Techniques in Oncology
Summary
Microwave ablation (MWA) has emerged as a minimally invasive modality for the thermal destruction of solid tumours across a variety of organs, including liver, lung and kidney. By delivering electromagnetic energy at microwave frequencies, MWA induces rapid heating within target tissues, leading to coagulative necrosis while sparing adjacent healthy structures. Technical refinements—such as optimised antenna designs, cooled‐shaft systems and real‐time thermometry—have improved the predictability and uniformity of ablation zones. Computational modelling based on the bioheat equation and tissue-specific thermophysical parameters supports personalised treatment planning. Clinical adoption has been driven by favourable safety profiles, shorter procedure times and the capacity to treat lesions unsuitable for surgery. Ongoing research is addressing challenges of ablation margin control, perfusion-related heat sink effects and integration with imaging modalities to monitor therapeutic outcomes.
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Microwave Ablation Techniques in Oncology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microwave ablation techniques in oncology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Microwave ablation (MWA): Thermal therapy using microwaves to induce tumour cell death by rapid heating and coagulative necrosis.
Phase change material (PCM): Substance that absorbs or releases energy at a defined temperature, used to limit heat spread to healthy tissue.
Specific absorption rate (SAR): Metric of electromagnetic energy absorption per unit mass of tissue, determining local heating rates.
Bioheat equation: Mathematical model describing heat transfer in living tissues, incorporating conduction, perfusion and metabolic heat.
Coaxial slot antenna: Antenna design characterised by circumferential slots in a central conductor, engineered for focused microwave delivery.
References
- Numerical study of thermal protection for healthy tissue using phase change materials in microwave ablation with coaxial slot antennas. Results in Engineering (2025).
- Thermophysical and mechanical properties of biological tissues as a function of temperature: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Hyperthermia (2022).
- Use of microwave ablation for thermal treatment of solid tumors with different shapes and sizes—A computational approach. PLOS ONE (2020).
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