Dielectric Properties of Normal and Metastatic Lymph Nodes Ex Vivo From Lung Cancer Surgeries

• Published in: Bioelectromagnetics Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 148 - 155
• Main Authors: Yu, Xuefei, Sun, Ying, Cai, Kaican, Yu, Hongfeng, Zhou, Difu, Lu, Di, Xin, Sherman Xuegang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-02-2020
• Subjects: Cancer surgery; Conductivity; Dielectric properties; Electrical properties; Frequency ranges; Human tissues; Lung cancer; lung carcinoma; lymph gland; Lymph nodes; Lymphatic system; Metastases; Metastasis; open‐ended coaxial probe; Permittivity; relative permittivity; Statistical analysis; open-ended coaxial probe; lymph gland; conductivity; lung carcinoma; relative permittivity
• ISSN: 0197-8462; 1521-186X
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.22246

The dielectric properties of normal and tumor human tissues have been widely reported in recent years. However, the dielectric properties of intrathoracic lymph nodes (LNs) have not been reported. In this communication, we measured the dielectric properties (i.e., permittivity and conductivity) of ex vivo intrathoracic LNs obtained from lung cancer surgeries. Results show that the permittivity and conductivity of metastatic LNs are higher than those of normal LNs over the frequency range of 1 MHz–4 GHz. Statistically significant differences are observed at single specific frequencies (64, 128, 298, 433, and 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz). Our study provides the basic data to support future‐related research and fills the research gap on the dielectric properties of LNs in the lungs. Bioelectromagnetics. 2020;41:148–155. © 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society.