Hyperthermia, which is used as an adjunct in various health problems, is applied as an adjunct / complementary cancer treatment in order to increase the success of the treatment together with the medical treatments applied in cancer (basic treatments of cancer such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy). In scientific studies, it has been shown that high temperature damages or kills cancer cells (1,2). By killing cancer cells and damaging the proteins that make up the structure of cancer cells, a reduction in cancer mass can be achieved (3). Hyperthermia is not used alone in the treatment of cancer.
Hyperthermia is generally used as an adjunct treatment alongside other cancer treatments such as radiotherapy (radiation therapy) and chemotherapy (2,4). Hyperthermia may help some cancer cells respond better to radiotherapy or may damage cancer cells that radiotherapy cannot damage (1). It also helps to increase the effectiveness of medical treatment by increasing oxygenation and blood circulation in the cancer mass. When radiotherapy and hyperthermia are used together, each can be applied a few hours before or after the other. Hyperthermia can increase the effect of some cancer drugs (anticancer drugs) (1). Hyperthermia applications help to prevent the repair of damage caused by medical applications used in cancer treatment to cancer cells.
The efficacy of hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy has been investigated in various clinical studies. These studies included cancers of the head and neck, brain, lung, esophagus (esophagus), breast, bladder (bladder), rectum, liver, appendix, cervix, peritoneum (peritoneum, mesothelioma) and tumors such as melanoma and sarcoma. focused on treatment (1,2,4,8,11, 12,13,14). Significant reduction in tumor mass was obtained when hyperthermia was used together with other treatments in most, if not all, studies (1,2,4,7,8). In some, but not all, of these studies, an increase in life expectancy has been shown in patients receiving combined therapy (4,6,8).
It has been found in some studies that it helps the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells (15,16). Heat-induced increase in HSP70 protein in cancer cells is supported to attack cancer cells by stimulating natural killer NK cells and other effector cells.
Prof. Dr. Canfeza Sezgin
Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology Specialist
