[Local hyperthermia in the treatment of advanced tumors: curative and palliative effects]

During the years of 1978 to 1981, a pilot study was conducted with 210 patients suffering from 235 tumors. The treatment included localized high-frequency hyperthermia alone or combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. The final evaluation of 164 tumors with different sites, sizes and histologic findings shows that even if the patients collective is unfavorably selected (nearly all tumors in an advanced stage), an increased palliative effect exceeding the clinical effect expected for radiotherapy alone was reached in 60 to 70% of all cases. 45% of the patients showed curative effects in the sense of an objectively improved tumor remission. At the same time, a significant reduction of local side effects of radiotherapy was achieved by the hyperthermic treatment. Localized hyperthermia until 42/43 degrees C has only a small rate of complications, even if it is applied in the abdominal region. Within the relatively short follow-up period, an increased rate of metastases after therapy combinations with hyperthermia was not observed.