System-level design trade-offs in magnetic hyperthermia RF instrumentation: a power electronics and electromagnetic design review

Abstract

Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) is a promising localized cancer therapy based on magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-mediated heating. Although research has extensively focused on MNP development, therapeutic efficacy and safety also depend critically on the engineering of the induction system. This review aims to provide an engineering-focused analysis of contemporary MH instrumentation and its design trade-offs. The instrumentation architecture is examined through a dual-domain evaluation of the power electronic and electromagnetic design chain. RF generator architectures are analyzed across the DC supply, oscillator, amplifier, and impedance matching stages. RF coil designs are evaluated according to geometry, inductance, and cooling strategies. An ordinal scoring framework is used to compare representative implementations and assess the influence of architectural choices on energy delivery and thermal stability, providing a structured basis for relative comparison rather than a definitive performance ranking. The analysis demonstrates that MNP performance is fundamentally constrained by the magnetic field generated by the complete instrumentation chain. Power-stage stability, impedance matching, coil characteristics, cooling, and spatial field homogeneity collectively determine the achievable operating conditions. Reliable MH requires system-level optimization rather than isolated MNP development. By clarifying key hardware trade-offs and their effects on field generation, this review supports the design of more standardized and reproducible MH induction systems.