Hyperthermia & Radiation Therapy

Hyperthermia treatments improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy.

Amplify Your
Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, aims to destroy cancer cells by severely damaging cellular DNA with radiation. DNA damage from multiple radiation treatments accumulates and eventually prevents cancer cells from dividing; in other words, they can’t repair themselves or form new cancer cells. The more radiation delivered to a cancer cell, the greater the damage, and the easier it is for the body’s immune system to remove the cancer cells from the body. Unfortunately, it may take days, weeks, or months before the radiation has damaged the cancer cells enough to destroy them, allowing them time to self-repair. Thankfully, hyperthermia therapy can help.

Hyperthermia Uses Heat To Fight Cancer

Hyperthermia therapy uses ultrasonic heat to combat cancerous tumors. It does so in two major ways. The first is that heat weakens cancer cells and inhibits their ability to self-repair; in some cases, hyperthermia treatments destroy the cancer cells outright.

The second way hyperthermia’s targeted heat works to eliminate tumors is by increasing blood flow to the tumor, which increases the concentration of oxygen that is able to reach the tumor, enhancing the efficacy of radiation therapy in Irvine without impacting healthy cells.

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Radiosensitization With The Help Of Hyperthermia

Radiation works more effectively in high-oxygen environments. The heat of hyperthermia therapy improves blood flow, which increases the oxygen content throughout the tumor. The addition of hyperthermia makes the cells more vulnerable to radiation therapy, a process known as ‘radiosensitization.’ Radiosensitization renders cancer cells even easier to destroy.

Decades Of Proven Results With Chemotherapy

After 35 years of use, there are still no known detrimental effects of hyperthermia therapy on healthy cells. Hyperthermia treatment is most compatible with certain types of chemotherapy. Our helpful patient advocates can work with your oncology team to determine if hyperthermia treatments could improve your healing journey.

Hyperthermia Improves the
Delivery of Chemotherapy to Tumors

Cancerous tumors typically have poor blood vessel structure, which often leads to collapsed blood vessels. Because of this, tumors do not receive the same amount of blood flow as healthy tissues, particularly at the center of the tumor. Hyperthermia therapy applies ultrasonic heat to tumors which dilates the tumor’s blood vessels, even those deep inside the tumor. This increased blood flow allows for a greater concentration of chemotherapy drugs to deeply penetrate the tumor and kill cancer cells.

Heat Directly Kills
and Stresses Cancer Cells

Over 35 years of evidence demonstrates that heat from hyperthermia treatment can directly kill some cancer cells. In addition, the combination of chemotherapy with hyperthermia therapy significantly strengthens the potency of the anti-cancer drugs; first, by placing the targeted cells under heat stress, and second by delivering more cell-killing chemotherapy. This powerful combination ultimately causes the destruction of more cancer cells than standalone chemotherapy could achieve.

Hyperthermia Helps Inhibit Cancer Cell DNA Repair

Some chemotherapy treatments work by damaging the cancer cell’s DNA. Damage from multiple chemotherapy treatments eventually accumulates in the cancer cells. It may take days, weeks, or months before the chemotherapy has damaged the cancer cells enough to destroy them directly. During the time it takes for enough chemotherapy to accumulate in the cancerous cells, the cells start to self-repair.

Hyperthermia treatments utilize heat to prevent the cancerous cells from repairing the damage done to their DNA, weakening the cell and making it easier for the body to destroy it. This helps reduce the size of the tumor. The National Cancer Institute studies have shown a significant reduction in tumor size when hyperthermia is combined with other treatments.

Selected Hyperthermia and Chemotherapy Studies

Here at HCI, we understand that navigating the details of cancer treatment is overwhelming and stressful. It can be hard to find accurate information. We have a selection of trusted studies below that can help you better understand how hyperthermia can increase the power of chemotherapy.

HCI Is Here To Help

At HCI, we conduct hyperthermia therapy in a non-invasive, gentle manner that works. Our heat-based ultrasonic technology can damage and destroy cancerous cells, as well as significantly amplify the efficacy of certain chemotherapies. Connect with our compassionate patient care team today to find out how our cancer center in Los Angeles can support you.