Cancer Center

Hyperthermia For Cancer Treatment

What is hyperthermia in cancer treatment?

Hyperthermia is heat therapy. Heat has been used for hundreds of years as therapy. According to the National Cancer Institute(NCI), scientists believe that heat may help shrink tumors by damaging cells or depriving them of the substances they need to live. There are research studies underway to determine the use and effectiveness of hyperthermia in cancer treatment.

How is it used?

Heat can be applied to a very small area or to an organ or limb. Hyperthermia is usually used with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other treatment therapies. The types of hyperthermia described in the following chart:

Type of Hyperthermia

Treatment Area

Method of Application

local hyperthermia

Treatment area includes a tumor or other small area.

Heat is applied from the outside with high-frequency waves aimed at the tumor.

or

Inside the body a small area may be heated with thin heated wire probes, hollow tubes filled with warm water, or implanted microwave antennae and radiofrequency electrodes.

regional hyperthermia

An organ or a limb is treated.

Magnets and devices that produce high energy are placed over the region to be heated.

or

Some of the patient''s blood is removed, heated, and then pumped into the region to be heated. The process is called perfusion.

whole body hyperthermia

The whole body is treated when cancer has spread.

warm water blankets
hot wax
inductive coils (similar to the coils in an electric blanket)
thermal room or chambers

Are there any side effects?

There are no known complications of hyperthermia. Side effects may include skin discomfort or local pain. Hyperthermia can also cause blisters and occasionally burns but generally these heal quickly.

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Programs at
Rush University Medical Center in Chicago

At Rush, we offer a range of standard and investigational therapies for the treatment of cancer. We have more than a dozen programs specializing in the treatment of specific cancers, including:

Bone Cancer
Brain Cancer
Breast Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Gynecological Cancers
Head and Neck Cancers
Hematological Malignancies
(cancers of the blood and lymph system)
Leukemia
Lung Cancer
Lymphoma
Myeloma
Orthopedic Cancers
Prostate Cancer
Radiation Oncology
Skin Cancers

Rush cancer programs are approved by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. Only one in four hospitals that treat cancer receive this special approval.

Click here to visit the home page for Cancer Programs at Rush.

Cancer Screening and Prevention
Cancer screening and prevention are priorities at Rush. Through genetic testing, counseling and advanced techniques for early detection, Rush helps people with a strong history of breast, ovarian, colon and other cancers. And in our state-of-the-art mammography center, we have one of the city’s finest teams of radiologists dedicated to early detection of breast cancer.

Cancer Support Programs at Rush
Cancer is not only a physical ordeal, it is also an emotional one, affecting cancer patients, their family and friends. To help address the whole person, we offer a number of resources to help patients and their loved ones cope in this difficult time.

For information on the cancer support programs at Rush click here.

Clinical Trials
Rush offers a number of clinical trials of experimental cancer treatments. Use the links below to search for studies for a particular form of cancer. If you are interested in exploring your eligibility for one of our open trials, please call (312) 942-8312. If we do not list trials for a particular type of cancer, please feel free to call us to discuss other treatment options.

For information on cancer clinical trial programs at Rush click here.

Find a Specialist at Rush
To find a cancer specialist at Rush, click on one of the following links:

To find specialist at Rush in other cancer-related areas, click on one of the following links:

Or make an appointment with a doctor at Rush by calling our toll-free physician referral number:

(888) 352-RUSH.

To reach the hospital operator, call (312) 942-5000. If you have difficulty hearing, call (312) 942-2207 (TTY/TTD).

Click here to view the
Online Resources page of this Web.