Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1997; 2: 190
The elevation of whole-body temperature to create a fever-like condition has shown to be a new therapeutic principal in oncologic therapy. The effect of whole-body hyperthermia is thought to be either related to an upregulation of the immune response or to be a result of a temperature dependent increase of activity of cytostatic drugs.
130 patients with metastatic cancer of different origin were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and whole-body hyperthermia of 41.5–42°C induced by infrared-A-irradiation and pyrogenic substances. Additional patients received different natural-biologic therapies (e.g. mistletoe, thymus extracts, antioxidants etc.)
High remission rates were obtained in patients with breast cancer and ovarian cancer, demonstrating increased effectivity of chemotherapy. In other tumours with documented disease progression and no further treatment choice relatively high rates of partial remission and tumour control were achieved. Side effects of whole body hyperthermia were mainly herpes labialis and reversible facial and skin oedema. Superficial burns (grade I and II) were observed in about 4%.
Whole-body hyperthermia is a new and safe therapy method of cancer treatment, increasing the activity of the immune system and the effectivity of chemotherapy. Our results suggest, that chemotherapy in metastatic cancer should be combined with whole-body hyperthermia. The possibility of dose reduction provides less toxicity of chemotherapy.
