Hyperthermia in Oncology – Principles and Therapeutic Outlook

Quality-assured local and regional hyperthermia procedures have been proven to enhance the clinical benefits of oncological standard treatments in several clinical settings, without a significant increase in late toxicity. This makes hyperthermia an attractive sensitizer for both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. During the past decade clinical evidence on the beneficial use of additive local and regional hyperthermia procedures as part of multimodality treatment approaches for several malignant diseases has increased significantly. Today, hyperthermia plays a role in the treatment of chest wall recurrences after breast cancer, locally advanced cervical cancer, locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer, high risk soft tissue sarcoma, anal carcinoma and bladder cancer. It is no longer a question whether hyperthermia is an effective oncological treatment at all. Technical improvements in hyperthermia treatment quality assurance and delivery standards were summarized by a dedicated team of physicists, technicians and clinicians. This booklet is dedicated to the interested reader without any expertise in local and regional hyperthermia. It is designed to provide instant access with a focus on current and upcoming clinical research.