[Chemotherapy and total body hyperthermia]

Combination therapies of anti-tumor drugs such as doxorubicin, cis-platinum and bleomycin or its analogues and extracorporeally induced total-body hyperthermia (THT) were performed against various advanced solid tumors. Fifty-nine patients were treated with combination chemotherapy including doxorubicin and THT. The overall response rate was 41.4%. However, against colo-rectal and stomach cancer, the response rate was only 25% (2/8) and 28.5% (2/7) respectively. Twelve patients were treated with chemotherapy including cis-platinum and THT and the response rate was 57.1% (4/7). Three patients (malignant lymphoma, nasopharyngeal cancer and maxillary sinus cancer) were treated with THT in combination with cis-platinum, peplomycin and doxorubicin. Two cases were evaluable and recognized as complete responses. In these studies, no new side effect of the drugs appeared and thus, advantageous combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin, cis-platinum and bleomycin analogues and hyperthermia for the treatment of advanced cancer is implied.