Treatment Procedure

How is hyperthermia given?

The temperature of a localized tumor is raised above normal with a sophisticated microwave device, or occasionally, with ultrasound. Each treatment typically lasts from 60 to 90 minutes. Prior to beginning treatment, a small hollow plastic catheter is inserted into the tumor under local anesthesia so that instruments for determining the tumor temperature can be placed in the catheters. Patients remain awake, but sedated, throughout treatment.

When is Hyperthermia Given?

Hyperthermia is given during a course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both. For example, a typical radiation therapy course lasts 5-6 weeks, with treatments given on 5 days each week. Hyperthermia treatment would be given separately only twice each week during the 5-6 weeks of therapy.

Chemotherapy, on the other hand, is usually given in intermittent fashion such as every 3-4 weeks. Hyperthermia would also be given once every 3-4 weeks as a separate treatment.

The details of treatment will vary, depending on which disease and which treatment program is being used. More information is available in descriptions of on-going Clinical Trials.

Does hyperthermia work by itself or does it have to be combined with other treatments?

Hyperthermia is not an effective treatment by itself. It needs to be given during other treatments, such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

While a number of other programs, primarily in Europe, but also a few in the United States and Mexico, treat cancers with hyperthermia alone, they are not engaged in any government-approved research and have not had their research published in legitimate medical journals.

All of the protocols used at Duke involve combinations of treatment.