Thermoimmunotherapy of advanced neoplasms. A concept and preliminary results

A rationale for the use of local hyperthermia (LH) in cases of advanced neoplasms as well as indications for its therapeutic application are discussed. LH applied alone is of limited use, only about 50% of patients with advanced neoplasms benefit from this therapy, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 10-15%. Thus LH should be considered as a supplementary form of cytoreductive therapy and it should be combined with other antineoplastic modalities. Clinical studies on thermoimmunotherapy (a combination of LH with a potent immunomodulator--Propionibacterium granulosum KP-45) were undertaken in advanced prostatic and breast cancer. The results now available after 1-2 years observation periods indicate that the number of responders is higher in groups treated with thermoimmunotherapy than in those with LH only. Although the observations are still in progress, the authors suggest that thermoimmunotherapy offers a real alternative for advanced neoplasms and opens a new field for experimental and clinical investigations.