A well-established treatment option in specialist oncology, Hyperthermia in cancer treatment means using controlled high heat to damage and kill cancer cells or make them more sensitive to other treatments. The science behind how it works depends on the type of thermal treatment:
Local Hyperthermia
A device directs heat at the tumour or a defined region of the body, while trying to keep surrounding healthy tissue within safe limits. This can both directly stress or damage the tumour cells but also importantly make tumour cells more vulnerable to the damage that radiotherapy, and some chemotherapy, does.
Whole body Hyperthermia
Instead of heating the tumour, the patient's core body temperature is deliberately raised and held under carefully controlled conditions. While heat can directly stress cancer cells and make other treatments more effective, as above in local hyperthermia, the inclusion of whole body hyperthermia is also to activate the immune system. Mild to fever-range hyperthermia stimulates the body's natural anti-tumor immune response. It enhances antigen presentation, activates cytotoxic T-cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells, and improves lymphocyte infiltration into tumours.
Infrared Sauna
Infrared sauna’s do not kill cancer but they are included in an integrative approach to help support the patient's overall wellbeing, physiological resilience and quality of life during or after cancer treatment - including helping to reduce stress, improve circulation and improve sleep.
Sources: 1, 3
