Hyperthermia in Cancer Treatment
Hyperthermia
(also called thermal therapy or thermotherapy) is an acute condition that occurs when the body produces or takes a lot of heat dissipate, can. It is usually caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The heat regulating mechanisms of the body eventually overwhelmed and did not effectively respond to the heat, so that the body temperature to climb uncontrollably.

Hyperthermia can also be created artificially by drugs or medical devices. In these cases, it can be used for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The tumor cells are more sensitive than normal cells, and heat the structure responds differently to overheating. In 1910, the possibility of overheating have been increased and the effect of radiation on malignant tumors reported. E ‘already known, and the procedure has been established that the so-called whole-body hyperthermia “in 1960. Carried out since the 70s a series of studies to investigate this form of therapy.

Research has shown that the high temperatures destroy (up to 44 ° C) and damage to cancer cells, can usually with minimal damage to normal tissue. In order to kill cancer cells and damaging proteins and structures in tumor cells are affected, hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia is almost always associated with other forms of treatment of cancer, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy used. Hyperthermia may make some cancer cells more sensitive to radiation or damage cancer cells, unlike the radiation can not hurt. Removed in combination hyperthermia and radiation, often within a certain time. Hyperthermia can also be the effect of some cancer drugs, which are mutually reinforcing and therefore more likely to heal – the so-called synergistic effect of hyperthermia. It was found that the cytotoxic chemicals (chemotherapy) have a much more aggressively at temperatures above 40 ° C in the range of normal body temperature.