Monte Carlo Simulations of the photo-thermal cancer therapy of melanin

Abstract

In this study, we performed Monte Carlo calculations to investigate photo-thermal effects on melanoma therapy. For this purpose, we simulated the light propagation in biological tissue. The propagation of laser light originates from a source point inside a single layer of light skin with a concentration of melanosomes $$(f_{\text{mel}} = 3\% )$$ . This single layer includes the epidermal with a thickness of 60 $$\upmu{\text{m}}.$$ Various important wavelengths are applied for photo-thermal therapy (PTT), such as Alexandrite laser, Ruby laser, and Nd:YAG, respectively. Accordingly, a single layer of skin is exposed to laser. It is demonstrated that the exposure to laser is a suitable option at a wavelength of $$\lambda =$$ 755 nm, which is useful to improve the therapeutic treatment compared to the lasers of wavelengths of $$\lambda =$$ 694 nm and $$\lambda =$$ 1064 nm, respectively. It is therefore possible to enhance the thermal treatment for light-skinned patients. The evaluation of temporal and spatial distributions is investigated versus the temperature, while the effects of relaxation time and thermal damage on the epidermal are involved.