Hyperthermia : physiological changes associated with whole body hyperthermia for cancer treatment

Over the last ten years hyperthermia has been introduced as an experimental therapy that is available to the clinician in the treatment of malignant disease. Intensive experimental and clinical research is continuing into various aspects of treatment. Since the importance of enviromental factors in hyperthemic cellular destruction was realised, a large studies aimed at ellucidating the number of investigators have undertaken role of hyperthermia on cells under the influence of such factors as nutrition, oxygenation and hydrogen ion concentration. Investigations are continuing into temperature/time relationships for killing of both normal and malignant tissues, while other studies are focusing attention on heat dose fractionation and thermal induced thermal resistance. Efforts have been made to achieve greater understanding of the structure and functioional limitations of tumor microcirculation, of disturbances brought about in it during hyperthermia, and the resultant changes occurring in oxygenation and acid base balance at the local level. Additional studies are in progress with the aim of investigating the role of hyperthermia in potentiating damage to normal and malignant tissues brought about by radiotherapy and the sequential effects of the two modalities. The effects of combined chemotherapy and thermotherapy are also under intensive investigation