Part 9: Hyperthermia

Who was the person that first noticed that a soft tissue sarcoma disappeared after the patient had had a high fever?

Hippocrates

In what normally radioresistant phase of the cell cycle does hyperthermia work to sensitize cells?

Synthesis phase (Synthesis of DNA/RNA)

How does hyperthermia impact cellular pH levels? And how does this impact cell kill?

It makes cells more acidic(↓pH) = Results in a buildup of lactic acid = enhances heat cell-kill & inhibits repair

The most common (Cent)temperature for therapeutic hyperthermia is___________

43°C

Hyperthermia tx's must obtain a therapeutic temperature for about how long?

1 Hour

"Cells are more resistant to heat following a prior exposure to heat."  This sentence defines what term related to hyperthermia that essentially means that with each additional treatment, tissues respond less and less?

Thermotolerance 

Hyperthermia treatments, when used in conjunction with radiation therapy, are generally given how many minutes AFTER RTT?

30 minutes

Hyperthermia patients that are also receiving RTT generally have this type of RTT:

Most patients are treated with electron beam, since tumors are usually more superficial

T / F A patient with a deep pelvic tumor would be a good candidate for hyperthermia.

False: Hyperthermia is used for superficial lesions. Hard to get that at 43 C for an hour plus all the thermometers. BUT you could open up a patient and insert seeds that heat up, but this is uncommon. DOUBLE CHECK

Normal blood flow tends to have what impact on hyperthermia treatments

Circulatory system regulates body temperature, so it works against you. 

List the 3 most common methods used for heating tumors AND their most common frequency or frequency range (in terms of MHz)

1. Microwaves: 915 MHz

2. Radio Waves: 5-37 MHz

3. Ultrasound: 0.3-3.0 MHz

It is recommended that a total of at least 4 thermometers (probes) be implanted prior to hyperthermia treatment to accurately determine temperature.  Three should be placed within the tumor volume, where should the other one be placed and why there?

1 into adjacent normal tissue. So you don’t overheat (overtreat) it

T / F Hyperthermia dosimetry is generally as accurate as x-ray dosimetry

False: It’s harder to get it as accurate because circulatory system works against you 

T / F Hyperthermia is time-consuming, prone to dosimetric inaccuracies, and generally given locally on a patient's body surface: 

True

✅ Time Consuming. Only 4-5 patients/day

✅ Diametric Inaccuracies (circulatory system works against you)

✅ Given locally on body surface (for the most part).

T / F Hyperthermia rooms require the same shielding as a Cobalt machine.

False. No shielding needed for hyperthermia 

What is the most common side effect of hyperthermia (use the 2 word term from class)?

Thermal Burn (local)

Hyperthermia became a common modality for cancer treatment in what decade?

1980s

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the operation of a hyperthermia unit:

??

??/

Whole body hyperthermia is most often used for what type of disease?

disseminated disease (but hypothermia is mainly used to treat local disease)