Information about Hyperthermia
WHAT IS HYPERTHERMIA?
Hyperthermia is, very simply, the application of concentrated therapeutic heat to treat cancer. Due to its increasingly impressive research and clinical track record, it is considered as "main-stream" as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and is now recognized as the "fourth modality" in approved cancer treatment.
However, due to its relatively recent acceptance in major medical circles, it is not well known - yet it is a treatment with genuine promise.
WHAT TYPE OF TUMORS ARE TREATED USING HYPERTHERMIA?
Valley Cancer Institute's state-of-the-art facility treats a wide range of tumors. Many are in difficult-to-reach sites that have not responded well to other treatment methods.
EFFECTIVE TREATABLE SITES:
Brain, Bone, Throat, Thyroid, Lungs, Breast, Liver, Pancreas, Colon, Ovaries, Uterus, Prostate, Skin, and other anatomical sites.
TYPES OF TREATABLE TUMORS
Adenocarcinoma, Carcinoma, Thymoma, Squamous Cell, Mesothelioma, Sarcoma, Melanoma, Lymphoma, Basal Cell.
HYPERTHERMIA ENHANCES RESULTS OF OTHER CANCER TREATMENTS
Hyperthermia quite effective on its own, however, a large body of medical evidence shows that when
hyperthermia is used in combination with radiation therapy or chemotherapy there is a dramatic improvement in response rates.
A recent study comparing results from leading hyperthermia researchers showed that beneficial responses were obtained by only 33% of patients treated with radiation alone, compared to 67% when radiation therapy was combined with hyperthermia.
At Valley Cancer Institute, over 40% of our patient referrals come from physicians who are convinced by similar medical evidence that when hyperthermia is used in combination with radiation therapy or chemotherapy, there is a two to threefold increase in favorable response rates.
For this reason, Valley Cancer Institute also offers radiation treatment and chemotherapy within its facility, as part of appropriate overall medical protocols.
BENEFITS-SUBSTANTIAL PAIN REDUCTION
For many patients, battling cancer has also meant fighting constant pain, or relying on strong narcotics like demerol or morphine derivatives. Hyperthermia is an exellent alternative to the use of this addictive drugs. Not only it is an effective cancer treatment, but it often dramatically reduces pain wich allows for better quality of life.
Subsequently, this enables many people to devote more energy to their fight against cancer.
HOW DOES HYPERTHERMIA WORK?
In normal tissues, blood vessels open up, (dilate) when heat is applied, dissipating the heat and cooling down the cell environment. Unlike healthy cells, a tumor is a tightly packed group of cells, and circulation is restricted and sluggish. When heat is applied to the tumor, vital nutrients and oxygen are cut off from the tumor cells. This results in a collapse of the tumor's vascular system and destruction of the cancer cells.