The Use Of Heat In Cancer Alternatives And Therapies

The three most frequently used mainstream interventions today – surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation – are known to have many debilitating side effects. In addition to that, they are generally expensive and far from uniformly effective. Because of these reasons, the search for non-invasive cancer alternatives and therapies is a pressing concern for many people who are stricken by cancer today. One of the most promising but still unconventional approaches to treating cancer involves the use of heat and it is interesting to see how high temperatures are used in the effort to cure cancer.

Using Heat to Kill Cancer Cells (Hyperthermia)

Hyperthermia (also called thermal therapy or thermotherapy) is a treatment that applies high temperatures (up to 113 degrees F) to body tissue. The principle behind this therapy lies in studies that showing how high temperatures can damage and kill cancer cells, without inflicting injury to normal tissues. This happens because the extreme heat damages the proteins and structures within cells; this may shrink tumors.

Hyperthermia is frequently used with other cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation. One of the theories regarding hyperthermia is that it may harm cancer cells that radiation does not kill while at the same time it will cause some cancer cells to be more sensitive to radiation. When used in combination, radiation and hyperthermia are usually administered within an hour of each other.

Hypothermia Methods Being Studied Today

At present, hyperthermia is one of the hopeful cancer alternatives and therapies. Various methods of hyperthermia are now the subject of ongoing research studies. As a whole these studies involve trials on people with cancer of the head and neck, brain, lung, esophagus, breast, bladder, rectum, liver, appendix, cervix, and peritoneal lining (mesothelioma). In many of these clinical trials, there is significant reduction of tumor size when hyperthermia is combined with other therapies. However, not all studies suggest increased survival among patients.

There are several hyperthermia methods undergoing clinical trials today:

• Local hyperthermia. This involves the application of heat to a specific area, such as a tumor. This heat is delivered using various techniques and various types of energy. Microwave, ultrasound, and radiofrequency are sources of energy used to apply heat depending on the location of the cancer cells.

• External hyperthermia. This positions external applicators around or near the appropriate area and focuses heat on the tumor to raise its temperature. This approach is used on tumors in the skin or just below it.

• Interstitial hyperthermia is used to treat tumors that are located deep within the body. This technique allows the tumor to be heated to high temperatures. Performed under anesthesia, it involves the use of probes or needles, which are inserted into the tumor. The heat source is then administered through the probe. To make sure the probe is positioned correctly, imaging techniques are used.
• Endocavitary or intraluminal methods are used to treat tumors near or within body cavities, such as the rectum or esophagus. Heat and energy are applied directly to the tumor by inserting probes through the body cavity.

• In regional hyperthermia, heat is administered to large areas of tissue, such as a body cavity, organ, or limb. This may involve positioning external applicators around the body or it may use perfusion techniques where some of the patient’s blood is removed, heated, and then pumped back into the organ.

• Whole-body hyperthermia uses several techniques including hot water blankets and thermal chambers that are similar to large incubators.

The Future for Hyperthermia in Cancer Alternatives and Therapies

Hyperthermia is not yet considered a standard treatment for cancer but it is now being subjected to clinical trials to evaluate its effects. Hopefully, the studies will yield positive results. When that happens, there will be better support for the improvement of techniques and people with cancer will have another weapon in their fight against the disease.