Department of Radiation Oncology

With heat against cancer - superficial hyperthermia in combination with radiation therapy

Action mechanism and medical indication

The heating of tissue to 40 to 42°C (104-107°F) renders tumor cells more susceptible to the lethal effect of radiation therapy without damaging healthy tissue. Thereby less radiation dose will still have a good therapeutic effect.

This circumstance may be exploited when patients have already undergone one or more radiation treatments in the same area and still suffer from local recurrence. In these cases, the combination of local hyperthermia and radiation therapy offers an effective option to maintain local tumor control.

We utilize this treatment on superficial tumors and metastases, namely in cases of breast cancer recurrence, skin cancer and skin metastases.

Treatment

A special thermal radiation is used to locally warm the tissue to the desired temperature: water filtered infared A (wIRA). This kind of infrared radiation can penetrate particularly deeply into tissue, while those wavelengths which normally damage the skin very easily are absorbed by the water. Two thermographic cameras continuously monitor the superficial temperature and regulate the treatment, so that harmful overheating of tissue is avoided.

The radiation treatment takes place no more than 2 to 3 minutes after about an hour of superficial hyperthermia. This close sequence of event is paramount for the effectiveness of the combination therapy.

A typical treatment schedule comprises of 5 weekly hyperthermia sessions followed immediately by electron irradiation at the linear accelerator. The weekly radiation dose is 4 Gy, the total dose not more than 20 Gy in most cases.

Contakt:

Dr. Jutta Scholber                   jutta.scholber@uniklinik-freiburg.de

Dr. Andreas Thomsen            andreas.thomsen@uniklinik-freiburg.de

(please send information request to both e-mail addresses)

phone (central office): +49 - 761 - 270 – 94 620 or – 94 624

Further information:

Cancers-Artikel 2020 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/3/606/pdf

Int. J. Hyperthermia 2017 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02656736.2016.1235731?needAccess=true

Int. J. Hyperthermia 2018 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02656736.2018.1469169?needAccess=true