Leveraging Thermal Properties Data toward Efficient Photothermal Therapy of Mammary Glands

Abstract

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is gaining wide attention in oncological applications. Nevertheless, its efficacy is still being questioned due to the potential deleterious thermal impact on healthy tissues. The comprehension of tissue thermal properties and their role in photothermal heat transfer is critical. In this study, the thermal conductivity of murine mammary gland (MG) tissues (both tumorous and normal) is initially characterized as a function of time post‐tumor cell inoculation. Notably, the tumorous MGs exhibit a mean thermal conductivity of 0.41 ± 0.013 W m−1 K−1, a 28% increase compared to the normal tissue (0.32 ± 0.003 W m−1 K−1). A self‐developed ultra‐fast hot‐wire technique is employed to assess the marginal temperature elevation in thin MG samples. These experimental findings suggest that the thermal conductivity escalates as the tumor advances. Employing a constant‐power laser, variations in therapeutic outcomes are attributed to the synergistic effect of augmented thermal conductivity and tumoral volume. Importantly, these data substantiate that the early commencement of photothermal irradiation effectively stymies tumor advancement. These insights can foster improved early‐stage PTT by calibrating irradiation schedules contingent on meticulous thermal property assessments, thus optimizing therapeutic results.