Abstract
In the treatment of malignant tumors, hyperthermia (HT) has been considered to be effective for tumoricidal conditioning in combination with radiation therapy (RT) and/or chemotherapy (CT). Low pH and nutritional deprivation sensitize cells to hyperthermia-induced killing. Furthermore, it is possible that decreased blood flow could further selectively reduce intratumor pH leading to enhanced cytotoxicity. In the experimental studies, the combined effects of flavone acetic acid (FAA) and hyperthermia were investigated on B16 melanoma cells and shown with enhanced cytotoxicity under the condition of their combined treatment regime.
In clinical study, patients with deep seated malignant tumors were treated with HT combined with RT and/or CT. A comparison of these results showed that the long survival was obtained on the groups where patients with tumors originated from breast, soft tissue, colorectal and uterine/ovarian sites and with good local response belonged. Concerning histopathological classification, no definite difference was found on the survival except for sarcoma. The role of hyperthermia, including a thermosimulator, and its current evolution in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer were discussed especially with emphasis on quality assurance in the hyperthermic treatment.
Finally, possible future perspectives of clinical research on HT combined with RT and/or CT were discussed especially on the election of appropriate clinical sites, selection of suitable HT devices, and design of clinical studies.
