Hyperthermia therapy is a medical treatment that utilizes heat to treat a variety of conditions, particularly cancer. It entails increasing the body’s temperature or focusing on a specific area of the body to harm or eliminate cancer cells. This therapy can also improve the efficacy of other treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, and it can offer relief from pain and inflammation in specific instances.
Research suggests that heating cells up to 113°F can effectively promote cancer cell death and damage proteins and other structures within cancer cells. This can help shrink tumors and prevent the spread of cancer cells. This therapy is used to treat metastatic cancer that has spread throughout the body, achieved by raising the body temperature to 104° F.
How Hyperthermia Therapy Works
Hyperthermia works exploiting the thermal sensitivity of tumor cells. These cells are more prone to heat than normal cells because they have a decreased ability to dissipate heat, which ultimately results in the destruction of cancer cells. Tumors are also susceptible to thermal damage when combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
Direct destruction of tumor cells occurs when the cell dies from heat, causing changes in the membranes and resulting in the rupture of cancer cells.
The efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is improved by the heat mechanisms that penetrate cells and interfere with DNA repair in tumor cells, making them more sensitive to radiation or drugs. Additionally, increased blood flow allows for greater effectiveness of the drugs administered.
Immunomodulation: Heat reactivates the immune system by aiding the body in recognizing and attacking tumor cells.
Heat can be applied in various ways, including:
- Superficial hyperthermia: This method is used to treat tumors located close to the surface, such as skin or breast tumors.
- Deep hyperthermia: This technique is employed to treat tumors located deeper inside the body, such as in the abdomen or pelvis, using methods like microwaves, radiofrequency or ultrasound.
Most common cancers treated with hyperthermia include:
Head and neck cancer: Hyperthermia helps improve local tumor control and reduce the side effects of radiation therapy.
Breast cancer: The combination of hyperthermia and radiotherapy increases the response rate and may improve survival in selected cases.
Skin cancer (melanoma): Hyperthermia enhances the effectiveness of radiotherapy in treating certain melanomas, particularly those in superficial areas of the skin.
Gynecological cancers (such as ovarian and cervical cancer): When combined with chemotherapy, hyperthermia has been shown to enhance the effectiveness of treatment for these types of cancer.
How Whole Body Hyperthermia is Administered
Tijuana, known as the world capital of alternative therapies, offers a variety of treatments, including hyperthermia therapy. Immunity Therapy Center (ITC) is one of the few facilities in the area that offers full-body hyperthermia.
Hyperthermia treatment can be administered to the patient in various forms. Local hyperthermia focuses heat on a specific area of the body, while whole body hyperthermia heats the entire body. Whole body hyperthermia is typically used for metastatic cancer that has spread beyond the initial area. The goal of whole body hyperthermia is to raise the core body temperature to around 107-108°F in order to kill malignant cells. This is often achieved using hot water blankets or thermal chambers, which resemble large human-sized incubators. To ensure proper temperature regulation of both the tumor and surrounding tissue, the doctor may insert needles or probes with small thermometers in addition to the cancer therapy.
Whole-body hyperthermia is an excellent alternative method for treating patients with metastatic cancer. It targets malignant cells directly in the body, making it an efficient therapy for most types of cancer. Many cancer patients find hyperthermia treatment to be a beneficial alternative to conventional treatments because of its non-invasive qualities.
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