Has hyperthermia a place in cancer treatment?

Long before ionising radiations were discovered, attempts were made to exploit elevated temperatures to control malignant tumours. At irregular intervals over the last 100 years, hyperthermia has been suggested for use in cancer therapy but has never become established. There is little doubt that heat alone can destroy tumours; and it can enhance the anti-cancer effects of radiation and chemotherapeutic agents. Laboratory and in vivo animal data provide hyperthermia with a strong biological rationale, which gives the more recent revival of interest a sounder base than previously. The exact science of hyperthermia, however, is still in its infancy, and how it should be employed to its best advantage in human cancer therapy remains illusive. We review the current position of hyperthermia in clinical cancer management and look to see what achievements are likely in the near future.