Evolving technology for thermal therapy of cancer

This paper is intended as a succinct review of technology used for clinical hyperthermia therapy for cancer, as culled from a presentation at the special workshop on Thermal Medicine, Heat Shock Proteins, and Cancer at the Society for Thermal Medicine conference in Spring 2005. Following a brief overview of thermal therapy treatment options and available mechanisms for heating tissue, the paper focuses on the evolution of equipment from basic single element heating devices of the early 1980s to adjustable multi-element heating devices currently in use or in final stages of development. Representative devices from the past, present and near future are cited for further investigation by the interested reader. The paper concludes with a summary of general trends in the evolution of clinical hyperthermia techniques and a statement of current challenges remaining for the field.