The phase of cancer treatment is constantly changing, with scientists and practitioners aiming to find more efficient, specific, and less burdensome treatments. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are considered the mainstays of treatment in patients diagnosed with colon cancer. New methods are, however being explored to make these treatment methods more effective, and one such promising area is hyperthermia. This heat therapy, as a form of treating cancer, provides an additional aspect of treating colon cancer on an all-around basis.
What is Hyperthermia Cancer Treatment?
Hyperthermia, also known as thermal therapy, is a type of medical treatment in which body tissue is exposed to elevated temperatures (typically between 40°C and 43°C or 104°F – 111°F). The core principle behind this therapy is a fascinating biological observation: cancer cells are often more susceptible to damage from heat than normal, healthy cells. This is partly due to the disorganized and inefficient blood vessel structure within tumors, which prevents them from dissipating heat effectively.
The Potential Role of Hyperthermia in Colon Cancer
Hyperthermia is rarely used as a standalone treatment. Instead, its true power lies in its ability to work synergistically with other therapies, making it a valuable adjunctive treatment. In the context of colon cancer, it can be used to:
● Enhance Chemotherapy: Heat can increase blood flow to a tumor and alter the permeability of cancer cell membranes, potentially allowing chemotherapy drugs to penetrate the tumor more effectively.
● Boost Radiation Therapy: Hyperthermia can make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation by inhibiting their ability to repair the DNA damage caused by the radiation treatment.
● Target Metastatic Disease: For colon cancer that has spread, whole-body hyperthermia can be utilized to treat cancer cells throughout the body, not just at a single site.
How Does Hyperthermia Colon Cancer Therapy Work?
When a controlled dose of heat is applied, hyperthermia colon cancer therapy can disrupt malignant cells in several ways. At a cellular level, the elevated temperature can damage or denature essential proteins and enzymes that cancer cells need to survive and replicate. It can also disrupt the cell membrane, compromising the cell’s integrity. By hindering the cancer cells’ DNA repair mechanisms, hyperthermia essentially weakens their defenses, making them more vulnerable to the cell-killing effects of concurrent chemotherapy or radiation, which is why it is often integrated into a broader treatment plan.
Verthermia’s HEATT®: An Advanced Heat Cancer Treatment
Verthermia is one of the first companies in this area to have developed a state-of-the-art whole-body heat cancer treatment called HEATT® (Hyperthermic Extracorporeal Applied Tumor Therapy). The patented process is meant to specifically target the treatment of systemic cancers such as metastatic colon cancer.
The HEATT® procedure is performed under general anesthesia to make the process comfortable for the patient. Blood is removed and heated outside the body in a loop of FDA-approved devices. This accurately heated blood is subsequently reintroduced into the body, slowly bringing the core temperature up to the maximum therapeutic range of 42 °C (107.6 °F) and maintaining it there. Dialysis is also included in this process to aid in the detoxification of blood and the balancing of the body’s natural chemistry.
Conclusion
With every new step we take towards gaining a better understanding of the field of oncology, there is a new hope and possibilities of treating serious illnesses such as colon cancer with hyperthermia colon cancer treatment. Although it cannot replace conventional treatment, the potential of hyperthermia to sensitize chemotherapy and radiation therapies is an attractive approach (as part of a combined cancer treatment protocol).
Organizations such as Verthermia are leading the pack, creating advanced systems to utilize the power of heat without putting lives in danger. When you or a loved one is researching treatment, you must have a full conversation with your oncology team regarding all possible treatment options, including cutting-edge treatments, such as hyperthermia.
