The battle against cancer requires a diversified strategy that is always looking for new and efficient tactics. Hyperthermia, a treatment that uses precisely regulated heat to fight cancer cells, is one such promising approach. The basic idea behind cancer hyperthermia treatment is to weaken cancerous cells as part of a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. What particular mechanisms does the heat treatment method use to combat cancer cells?
What is Cancer Hyperthermia Treatment?
Cancer hyperthermia treatment requires the precise heating of body tissue above normal temperature ranges between 40-44°C or 104-111°F. The treatment method can be utilized in three different ways, including application on smaller areas, larger regions such as limbs and organs, and full body use. The basic assumption states that heat exposure affects cancer cells differently than it affects normal cells when specific conditions exist.
The Science: How Heat Affects Cancer Cells
The therapeutic effects of hyperthermia stem from the physiological differences between cancerous tissue and normal tissue. Elevated temperatures function through a methodology which selectively identifies cancer cells.
● Direct Cell Damage: Temperature dissipation becomes impaired in cancer cells due to their tight and abnormally structured blood vessels, which hinders their ability to maintain normal body temperatures compared to normal tissues. Medical studies have shown that cancer cells die by apoptosis after experiencing elevated heat because the essential cellular structures and proteins become damaged or denatured.
● Altered Tumor Microenvironment: High temperatures in tumors create disorder in the blood supply network causing difficulty in transporting essential food and oxygen which cancer cells need to sustain their existence.
● Increased Sensitivity to Other Treatments: Heat treatment exposure creates extensive sensitivity to all forms of treatment. During heating a tumor receives more blood to deliver chemotherapy drugs into its cells temporarily. DNA repair mechanisms in cancer cells lose efficiency because of hyperthermic therapy which makes them more susceptible to radiological DNA damage when undergoing treatment.
● Boosting Immune Response: Heated cancer cells generate specific proteins that the body releases as heat shock proteins which appear on their surface. The heat-generated protein signals exposed on cancer cells allow the immune system to detect them, thus triggering antitumor immune responses.
Targeting Specific Cancers: Breast Cancer Treatment Therapy
Research groups are investigating hyperthermia treatment as they apply it to various
cancer types for clinical purposes. Breast cancer treatment therapy includes regional and local hyperthermia applications with radiation therapy and chemotherapy during therapy for recurrent or locally advanced cases. Research laboratories study how this treatment functions in various types of breast cancer while medical teams implement it as part of combined therapeutic approaches to enhance treatment results.
Verthermia®: Innovating Whole-Body Hyperthermia
Scientific leaders in cancer hyperthermia treatment now develop advanced techniques for whole-body procedures. The HEATT® (Hyperthermic Extracorporeal Applied Tumor Therapy) system is the proprietary technology that Verthermia® applies in its operations.
Healthcare operators utilize FDA-approved devices to heat the patient’s blood precisely outside the body, sending the blood flow through their system to reach therapeutic temperature levels (around 42 degrees Celsius or 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for an extended time within controlled medical environments. The method of treating the entire body consists of engaging system-wide cancer cells to target cancer cells that exist outside localized areas.
Conclusion
The therapy applies the specific heat sensitivity of cancer cells during treatment as it works to destroy cancer cells directly while making other treatments more effective and producing immune responses. Physicians incorporate cancer Hyperthermia treatment into care plans because its specific attack on cancer cells demonstrates its importance in ongoing medical research and clinical practice.
Through developments at Verthermia®, researchers enhance whole-body hyperthermia techniques that potentially create new approaches for cancer treatment. All patients seeking hyperthermia treatment must speak with their oncology team regarding both its applicability and its position in their customized care strategy.
