Treating Tumors with Heat Plus Chemo

A new treatment for cancer involves combining heat and chemotherapy to improve outcomes. German scientists used electromagnetic energy to heat the soft tissue around tumors in fat, muscle and cartilage. This regional hyperthermia appears to enhance the effectiveness of classic chemo. It also improves blood flow to the tumor, which helps the chemotherapy penetrate the tumor more readily. The patients who received this heat treatment along with their chemo were less likely to experience a recurrence of their cancer or die in the following three years. More study is needed to see how well this approach will work with other types of tumors.
[ECCO-ESMO European cancer congress, Berlin, 9/21/09]