Hyperthermia widely used in Treating Cancer
Hyperthermia is a condition in which the body temperatures are higher than the normal degrees. Hyperthermia can be caused by certain diseases but it can also be created by medical experts to help in treatment of certain diseases especially cancer. In this case it is referred to as heat treatment. Higher than normal temperatures are known to cause various health complications but in hyperthermia the heat is under careful control of qualified medical personnel hence cannot kill the patient but only kill the cancerous cells.
Use of hyperthermia which is also called thermal therapy in cancer treatment involves exposing the patient’s body tissues to high temperatures of up to 113°F.Thermal therapy is used to kill or damage the cancerous cells without or with minimal hurt to the healthy cells.
Thermal treatment helps in making the cancer cells more vulnerable to treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. High temperatures may also kill the cancer cells instantly. Hyperthermia is very effective in treatment of cancer but it may also lead to the death of healthy cells for this reason it needs to be handled by doctors who are well versed in the area and can take good control of the heat so as to avoid harm to the patient.
Hyperthermia had been used in the past however, back then the tools used in hyperthermia were not as effective and so the results were not constant. The reason to this was that the doctors were finding it hard to maintain that heat on a specific area of the body for a certain time without affecting the remaining parts of the body that was not subject to the treatment. This means the other body parts that did not have cancerous cells also got affected adversely. Nevertheless there is no hopes left as today’s tools used in hyperthermia are more effective and it is now easy to control the heat on a certain area without affecting the rest of the body. Today very many health institutions are using hyperthermia in treatment of cancer worldwide.
There are two ways through which hyperthermia is done. All this are related to the surface that that the heat is concentrated on and the intensity of the heat. The heat can be concentrated in one area that is infested by the cancer cells especially on tumor. When the heat is focused on one small area it is referred to as local hyperthermia or thermal ablation. In local hyperthermia the heat used is much stronger and so helps in killing or damaging the cancer cells on that small area.
The cancer cells are killed when the proteins in them get coagulated and the blood vessels that supply them with nutrients are killed. This leaves a place that is cooked hence no living cancer cell. Various sources of energy can be used in this process including Radio waves, microwaves, and ultrasound waves.
Thermal ablation can be either internally or externally. When done external the source of heat is focused on a specific area of the patients body while in internal ablation involves using a needle that is pricked into the tumor. The needle releases lots of heat at the tip killing the cancerous cells.
Thermal ablation can be used in treatment of cancers that are deeply rooted In the internal organs. It is the method that is used in killing cancer cells in brain tumors. This technique is called Interstitial and it releases lots of heat than the external thermal ablation. Needles that release heat are used in the tumor to kill the cells in it.
At times the heat can be concentrated on whole body of the patient. This is especially when the cancer cells are well spread in the body of the patient. When the heat is concentrated on the patient’s whole body, it is referred to as whole body hyperthermia or regional hyperthermia.
Regional hyperthermia is not used with a lot of heat as in the thermal ablation. It is used on an entire organ or on a large surface affected by the disease. Regional hyperthermia is mostly used with other treatment methods like chemotherapy as well as radiation therapy
The regional hyperthermia can involve the following techniques in treating cancer:
- Deep tissue hyperthermia– Deep tissue is used to heat a specific area that is affected by the cancer. It involves use of external applicators that are placed around the affected organ and then Radio waves, microwaves or ultrasound waves are focused on that area to heat it killing the cancerous cells.
- Whole body hyperthermia– whole body hyperthermia is an approach that is used to treat cancer that is widespread in the body. Metastatic cancer is mostly spread hence use of thermal ablation may not be very effective. Here the temperatures can be heightened upto108° Fahrenheit.
- Regional perfusion– regional perfusion involves removal of some of the patient’s blood, heating it and then pumping it back into the system after the cancerous cells have been killed. It is useful in treatment of specific areas of the body for example the lung or the liver.
Are there risks Associated with hyperthermia?
Hyperthermia can be safe when it is used under the control of experts in the field it involves use of heat that can be dangerous if not well controlled and the patient needs to assess the credibility of the oncologists that is to control the heat. In most cases the healthy cells are rarely affected by hyperthermia. However side effects like burns, blisters and pain may occur due to the high temperatures. Perfusion may cause other problems like blood clot, tissue swelling and even bleeding. Generally these side effects are associated with hyperthermia: Vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
Doctors are doing research daily to find better ways of treating cancer. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is particularly committed to finding you the best information that can help you in staying away from cancer. Visit her website regularly for information about cancer and other diseases.
Hyperthermia widely used in Treating Cancer
Related articles
