Hyperthermia - A fever kills cancer

Hyperthermia as a form of cancer treatment is pretty simple and has very few risks. At high temperatures up to 113 degrees most cancer cells are damaged where most healthy cells can survive. A heating element (think microwave) raises tissue temperature above what cancer cells can stand for up to an hour, several times a week, for several weeks in a row. The heat also increases blood circulation which aids in healthy healing. Because some healthy cells will get damaged, there can be skin irritation, but there are hardly any other risks or side effects. Interestingly, whole body hyperthermia is possible to treat metastatic (spreading) cancer, but heat blankets or water has to raise your entire body to at least 111 degrees… an uncomfortably hot jacuzzi for an hour would make anyone feel nauseous or pass out.

This treatment has been around for a long time, but until recently they couldn’t control the temperatures well enough to keep patients from feeling great pain and burning. Clinical trials are still being done, but most recent research shows it works best when done at the same time as chemo or radiation.

Garrett is now partially through his 3 times a week hyperthermia treatments and has some skin irritation similar to a sunburn. Like radiation, we are using hyperthermia to control just one tumor, not cure his entire disease. But the tumor we are treating is a very important one – it is the skin tumor which we suspect was the origin of his cancer. Eradicating this tumor won’t stop other sites in his body from growing, but it would be a moral victory and improve comfort and flexibility for his neck where the skin tumor resides.