Definition

Hyperthermia is the use of therapeutic heat to treat various cancers on and inside the body.

Purpose

The purpose of hyperthermia is to shrink and hopefully destroy cancer without harming noncancerous cells. It can be used to treat cancer in many areas of the body, including the brain, thyroid, lung, breast, and prostate. It is thought that high temperatures, up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit, can help shrink cancerous tumors. Hyperthermia is starting to be more widely used because it does not have side effects like other forms of cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy. In some instances, hyperthermia is used at the same time with other forms of cancer therapy.

Through years of research, it has been found that the effectiveness of...