●
Gentle heat + low dose radiation
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Effective
pain reduction
●
Low
side effects
●
Scientifically
based, FDA approved modality
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Accepted
by most insurance
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Statistically
proven successful results
Hyperthermia (also called hyperthermia therapy, thermal therapy,
thermotherapy or thermoradiotherapy) cancer treatment, combined
with low-dose radiation, is the application of heat to the
tumor, which enhances the effectiveness of radiation.
Hyperthermia it self has very minimal side effects.
Hyperthermia can also be created artificially by drugs or
medical devices. In these instances it may be used to treat
cancer and other conditions. Cancer cells are more
heat-sensitive than healthy cells and their structure reacts
differently to overheating. In 1910 the possibility of
overheating in order to increase the radiation effect on
malicious tumors was described for the first time. This
already well-known and applied method was rediscovered as so
called “whole body hyperthermia” in the beginning of the
1960s. Since the 70s a number of studies were run to further
investigate this therapy form.
Research has shown that high temperatures (up to 44°C) can
damage and kill cancer cells, usually with minimal injury to
normal tissues. By killing cancer cells and damaging
proteins and structures within cells, hyperthermia may
shrink tumors.
Hyperthermia is almost always used with other forms of
cancer therapy, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Hyperthermia may make some cancer cells more sensitive to
radiation or harm other cancer cells that radiation cannot
damage. When hyperthermia and radiation therapy are
combined, they are often given within an hour of each other.
Hyperthermia can also enhance the effects of certain
anticancer drugs, which is mutually strengthened thereby and
a healing more likely – the so-called synergistic effect of
hyperthermia. It was found out that cytostatic drugs
(chemotherapy substances) clearly act more aggressively at
temperatures over 40° C than within the range of the normal
body temperature.

The History of Hyperthermia
The healing effect of heat treatment was already mentioned
in the advanced cultures of the old Egypt (2400 B.C.), but
only the medical professionals of the Greek Antique used
this therapeutic approach consistently, acknowledged it and
called it over-warming (in Greek: Hyperthermia). “Give me
the power to produce fever and I heal every illness”, said
Parmenides, Greek physician, 540-480 B.C.
Hyperthermia Technology
Click on the files names below to read about hyperthermia
machines used at Bicher Cancer Institute.

Scientific Publications
-
Bicher, James Haim, MD., Wolfstein, Ralf,
M.D. Thermoradiotherapy
with curative intent – breast, head and neck
and prostate tumors. Deutsche
Zeitschrift für Onkologie (German Journal of
Oncology) 2006, 38: 116-122.
-
Bicher HI, McLaren JR, Pigliucci GM, (eds).
Consensus on Hyperthermia for the 1990s.
Clinical Practice in Cancer Treatment.
Plenum Press, New York and London, 1990.
-
Bicher HI, Hetzel FW, Sandhu TS. Physiology
and Morphology of Tumor Microcirculation on
Hyperthermia. Chapter 9. Ed. K Storm, K Hall
Publisher, New York, 1982.
-
Bicher HI, Hetzel FW, D'Agostino L, Johnson
RJ. Changes
in tumor tissue oxygenation induced by
microwave hyperthermia. Int
J. Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1977, S2:157.
-
Bicher HI, Hetzel FW, Mitagvaria N, O'hara
M. Reoxygenation induced by localized
microwave hyperthermia as an adjuvant to
radiation therapy. 6th International
Congress of Radiation Research, 1979,
5:171-175.
-
Bicher HI, Hetzel FW, Sandhu TS, Frinak S,
Vaupel P, O'Hara MD, O'Brien T. Effects
of hyperthermia on normal and tumor
microenviroment. Radiology
1980, 137:523530.
-
James Haim Bicher, M.D. The
physiological effects of hyperthermia. Radiology;
1980:511513.
-
Sandhu TS, Bicher HI, Hetzel FW. A thermal
dosimetry system with blood flow simulation.
Journal of National Cancer Institute,
6:361-363.
-
Bicher HI, Sandhu TS, Vaupel P, Hetzel FW.
The effect of localized microwave
hyperthermia on physiological responses.
Journal of National Cancer Institute,
6:375-377.
-
Bicher HI, Sandhu TS, Hetzel FW.
Inhomogenities in oxygen and pH
distributions in tumors. Radiat Res 1980,
83376.
-
Hetzel FW, Kaufman N, Brown M, Bicher HI. Indirect
sensitization by drug induced reoxygenation
in spheroids. Radiat
Res 1980, 83:375376.
-
Bicher HI, Sandhu TS, Vaupel P, Hetzel FW.
Physiological mechanisms of action of
localized microwave hyperthermia. Presented
at the Third International Symposium on
Cancer Therapy by Hyperthermia, Drugs and
Radiation. Fort Collins, Colorado, June
1920, 1980.
-
Bicher HI, Sandhu TS, Hetzel FW, Matvia F.
An effective fractionation protocol for the
clinical use of hyperthermia with adjuvant
radiation. Presented at the Second Meeting
of the European Group on Hyperthermia in
Radiation. Rome, Italy, September 1920,
1980.
-
Bicher HI, Vaupel P, O'Hara MD, O'Brien T,
Mitagvaria N. Tissue oxygenation in normal
and hyperthermic conditions. In proceedings
of the XXVIIIth International Congress of
Physiological Sciences. Budapest, Hungary,
July 1318, 1980. Akademial Kiado Publishers:
Adv. Physiol Sci. 1981, 25:215233.
-
Bicher HI, Hetzel FW, Vaupel P, Sandhu TS.
Microcirculation modification by localized
microwave hyperthermia and hematoporphyrin
phototherapy. Bibl Anat 1981, 20:628632.
-
James Haim Bicher, M.D., Nodar Mitagvaria Circulatory
responses of malignant tumors during
hyperthermia. Microvascular
Research 1981, 21:1926.
-
Bicher HI, Sandhu TS, Vaupel P, Hetzel FW.
Effect of localized microwave hyperthermia
on physiological responses. Natl Inst Drug
Abuse Res Monogr Ser 1982, 61:217219.
-
Vaupel P, Frinak S, MuellerKlieser W, Bicher
HI. Impact of localized hyperthermia on the
cellular microenvironment in solid tumors.
Natl Inst Drug Abuse Res Monogr Ser 1982,
61:207209.
-
Bicher HI. Impact of microcirculation and
physiologic considerations on clinical
hyperthermia. Proceedings 13th International
Cancer Congress, 235245, Alan R Liss Inc.,
New York, 1983.
-
Bicher HI, Mitagvaria NP. Changes in tumor
tissue oxygenation during microwave
hyperthermia clinical relevance. Advances in
Experimental Medicine and Biology, 180:
190905, 1985.
-
Mitagvaria NP, Bicher HI. Effect of
microwave radiation on local blood flow and
tissue oxygenation in the brain. Bulletin of
Experimental Biology and Medicine,
98:895897, 1984.
-
Bicher HI, Shani J, Reesman KJ. Use of non
perturbing thermocouples (NPT's) for
hyperthermia clinical thermometry. Int. J.
Hyperthermia, 3:550551, 1987. (Abst) and J.
Microwave power 22: 173, 1987, (Abst).
-
Bicher HI, Wolfstein RS. Local Hyperthermia
of tumors at moderate depth using POPAS:
Results by site (Abstract). 36th Annual
Meeting of the Radiation Research Society,
4:1621, 1988.
-
Bicher HI, Shani J, Reesman KJ. Use of
nonperturbing thermocouple for clinical
hyperthermia thermometry (Abstract). 36th
Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research
Society, 4:1621, 1988.
-
Bicher HI, Wolfstein RS. Treatment of
intratoracic lesions. Preliminary results
(Abstract). 37th Annual Meeting of the
Radiation Research Society. 3:1823, 1989.
-
Bicher HI, Reesman KJ, Afuwape SA. A target
triapplicator system with nonperturbing
thermocouples thermometry. Hyperthermic
Oncology 1988, Taylor and Francis, 1:778779,
1989.
-
Bicher HI, Mitagvaria, N. Oxygen and pH in
Human Tumors During Hyperthermia (Abstract).
Proceeding of the 1991 International Society
on Oxygen Transport to Tissue Meeting
(ISSOT). Willemstad, Curaco, Netherlands
Antilles, August 24-30, 1991.
-
Mitagvaria, N., Bicher HI. Local Blood Flow
and PO2 in Rat's Brain During Maze Behavior
(Abstract). Proceeding of the 1991
International Society on Oxygen Transport to
Tissue Meeting (ISSOT). Willemstad, Curaco,
Netherlands Antilles, August 24-30, 1991.
-
Bicher HI, Wolfstein RS. Transcranial
Treatment of Brain Tumors with Microwave
Hyperthermia (Abstract). Proceeding of the
8th Annual Conference of the American
Society for Clinical Hyperthermic Oncology
(ASCHO). Chicago, Illinois, October
31-November 2, 1991.
-
Bicher HI, Mitagvaria N. Oxygen and pH in
Human Tumors During Hyperthermia (Paper
presented as a poster). Proceeding of the
6th International Congress on Hyperthermic
Oncology. Tucson, Arizona, April 26- May 1,
1992.
-
Surowiec, A. Bicher HI, Caridad, C. A
Comparison of Heating Characteristics of Two
Hyperthermia Systems Used for Deep Seated
Malignancies BSD-2000 and Tripas (Abstract).
Proceeding of the 16th International
Symposium on Clinical Hyperthermia (ISCHO).
Kyoto, Japan, June 13-16, 1993.
-
Bicher HI, Yarmonenko S, Wainson A, Swrowiec
I, Metagvaria N. Specific inhibition of
L-Glucose cell proliferation. Potentiation
of Hyperthermia, Radiation and Chemotherapy
effects (Abstract). Proceeding of the 10th
Annual Meeting of the American Society Of
Clinical Hyperthermic Oncology (ASCHO).
Memphis, Tennessee; November 28-30, 1993.
-
Surowiec, A, Bicher HI, Intercomparison of
Heating Patterns of the BSD-2000 and the
Tripas System (Abstract). Proceeding of the
14th Annual Meeting of the North American
Hyperthermia Society (NAHS), Nashville,
Tennessee, April 29- May 4, 1994.
-
Bicher HI, Yarmonenko, S. Wainson, A.
Surowiec, I. Mitagvaria, N. Anticancer
Effect of L-Glucose In-Vivo Potentiation of
Hyperthermia (Abstract).
Proceeding of the 17th International
Symposium on Clinical Hyperthermia (ISCH).
Pavia, Italy, May 1-5, 1994.
-
Bicher HI MD., Eva H. Barker, Patrick J.
Bolan, Lance delabarre, Hellmuth Merkle,
Lenore I. Everson, Michael Garwood. In VIVO
Monitoring to Treatment for Breast Cancer
Using 4T H MRS. Center for Magnetic
Resonance Research, University of Minnesota,
2021 Sixth street SE, Minneapolis, MN. USA;
-
H. Bicher, Mitagvaria, I. Kvachadze , T.
Khetsuriani, A. Shukakidze, I. Lazrishvili,
M. Arabuli, TS.T. Khomeriki, Main
factors in development of local
hyperthermia-induced morphological changes
in cerebral tissue of the rat In
Press, Proceedings of Tbilisi State Medical
University.

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