Critical ReviewsTM in Biomedical Engineering, 34(6):491–542 (2006) Thermal Therapy, Part 2: Hyperthermia Techniques

ABSTRACT: Hyperthermia, the procedure of raising the temperature of a part of or the whole body above normal for a defined period of time, is applied alone or as an adjunc-tive with various established cancer treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and che-motherapy. Clinical hyperthermia falls into three broad categories, namely, (1) localized hyperthermia, (2) regional hyperthermia, and (3) whole-body hyperthermia (WBH). Be-cause of the various problems associated with each type of treatment, different heating techniques have evolved. In this article, background information on the biological ration-ale and current status of technologies concerning heating equipment for the application of hyperthermia to human cancer treatment are provided. The results of combinations of other modalities such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy with hyperthermia as a new treatment strategy are summarized. The article concludes with a discussion of challenges and opportunities for the future