In a thermal therapy treatment session, the whole body – outside and inside – is heated to a precise temperature of 41.5°C in a stable and controlled way using innovative temperature sensor technology.
A full treatment lasts several hours (from 2 to 8 hours) and is performed under anesthesia.
A full regimen typically consists of up to 3 sessions, with the number of sessions determined based on previous research and consultation with the doctors involved in the treatment.
Heating the body to a fever-range temperature boosts the immune system, inhibits tumor growth, increases the absorption of anti-cancer drugs, and increases the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy.
Cancer cells that have spread throughout the body, called metastases, are very difficult to eliminate completely and may lead to recurrent tumors.
Heating up the whole body homogeneously ensures that all cancer cells can be targeted at the same time, wherever they are in the body.
The strenght of thermal therapy is that it boosts the effect of chemo- or radiotherapy.
Chemotherapeutic agents often do not reach the tumor very efficiently due to the presence of a large and poorly vascularized stroma.
Applying heat increases the blood flow in the stroma, which leads to a higher resorption of chemotherapeutics into the cancer cells and improves their effectiveness.
Thermal therapy also enhances the effectiveness of radiotherapy on cancer cells and reduces its toxicity to normal tissue.
Most patients could benefit from thermal therapy, but currently the treatment is used in patients with minimally operable or in-operable cancers, who have advanced tumors and/or metastases.
During the treatment, patients are under the continuous monitoring by an experienced team of doctors.
Furthermore, improved technology and experience have resulted in fewer side effects.
Literature on other thermal treatment modalities have shown minor side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Severe adverse effects are unlikely, but may include problems with the heart, blood vessels, and major organs.