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Hyperthermia as a heat therapy is the procedure of raising the temperature of a part of or the whole body above normal for a certain period of time. Based largely on delivery methods, therapeutic hyperthermia falls under three major categories: local, regional, and whole-body. It may be applied alone or jointly with other modalities such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, radiochemotherapy, and gene therapy. Because of the individual characteristics of each type of treatment, different types of heating systems have evolved. This paper provides an overview of possible mechanisms of heat-induced cell death and the way heating exerts its beneficial effect. It also discusses various heating devices as well as other modalities used with hyperthermia. The paper concludes with a summary of benefits and risks, obstacles encountered in the treatment process, and future research directions.

In this article some of the important techniques in electromagnetic (EM) and thermal dosimetry are reviewed. Three major areas are discussed: modeling power deposition and estimation of EM energy absorbed by tissues exposed to EM radiation, electrical-thermal modeling for thermal therapy with various models of heat transfer in living tissues, and thermal dosimetry using invasive and noninvasive thermometry. Knowledge about the temperature distributions achieved can only be obtained by treatment planning of patient therapy. This process is called thermal therapy planning system (TTPS), which is a large and complex system for design, control, documentation, and evaluation of the treatment that also provides data for treatment optimization. Various imaging techniques for guidance and monitoring necessary for clinical treatments are also discussed. The review concludes by suggesting future avenues for investigations.

Ablative treatments are gaining increasing attention as an alternative to standard surgical therapies, especially for patients with contraindication or those who refuse open surgery. Thermal ablation is used in clinical applications mainly for treating heart arrhythmias, benign prostate hyperplasia, and nonoperable liver tumors; there is also increasing application to other organ sites, including the kidney, lung, and brain. Potential benefits of thermal ablation include reduced morbidity and mortality in comparison with standard surgical resection and the ability to treat nonsurgical patients. The purpose of this review is to outline and discuss the engineering principles and biological responses by which thermal ablation techniques can provide elevation of temperature in organs within the human body. Because of the individual problems associated with each type of treatment, a wide range of ablation techniques have evolved including cryoablation as well as ultrasound, radiofrequency (RF), microwave, and laser ablation. Aspects of each ablation technique, including mechanisms of action, equipment required, selection of eligible patients, treatment techniques, and patient outcomes are presented, along with a discussion of limitations of the techniques and future research directions.

In-the-field projects aiming to improve quality in cancer control provide a valuable complement to health services and knowledge translation (kt) research studies. The present paper describes the methods used to develop the Knowledge Translation for Cancer Control in Canada: A Casebook and its results. Nominations for in-the-field projects were accepted from individuals and organizations across Canada. The nominations had to demonstrate that a specific cancer control problem was identified, that a deliberate and organized effort was developed and implemented to address the identified problem, and that an evaluation&mdash, formal or informal&mdash, was used to assess the effort. A selection of nominated cases were chosen for more comprehensive analysis. Thirty nominations were received. Most tackled problems related to treatment or diagnosis. Challenges related to breast, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary cancer were most common among the disease-specific projects, and most projects were regional in scope, with strategies targeting organizational solutions. Of the 30 nominations, 19 were chosen for further analysis. Of those 19, 5 were influenced by a kt model or theory, and 16 reported formal evaluation strategies. Surveys were the most common evaluation method, and process outcomes and clinical surrogate outcomes were the most frequently cited. Financial and administrative challenges were most often cited as key barriers. The key lessons learned concerned the need for a collaborative high-functioning team, project management, and support. The casebook provides tangible examples of in-the-field efforts to improve cancer control and provides practical direction for other individuals and institutions facing similar challenges. We discuss the interface between field projects and research projects in the kt arena and how mutual learning can help to optimize the value of each approach.

Hyperthermia, the procedure of raising the temperature of a part of or the whole body above normal for a defined period of time, is applied alone or as an adjunctive with various established cancer treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Clinical hyperthermia falls into three broad categories, namely, (1) localized hyperthermia, (2) regional hyperthermia, and (3) whole-body hyperthermia (WBH). Because of the various problems associated with each type of treatment, different heating techniques have evolved. In this article, background information on the biological rationale and current status of technologies concerning heating equipment for the application of hyperthermia to human cancer treatment are provided. The results of combinations of other modalities such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy with hyperthermia as a new treatment strategy are summarized. The article concludes with a discussion of challenges and opportunities for the future.

Thermal therapy is widely known and electromagnetic (EM) energy, ultrasonic waves, and other thermal-conduction-based devices have been used as heating sources. In particular, advances in EM technology have paved the way for promising trends in thermotherapeutical applications such as oncology, physiotherapy, urology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and in other areas of medicine as well. This series of articles is generally written for oncologists, cancer researchers, medical students, biomedical researchers, clinicians, and others who have an interest in this topic. This article reviews key processes and developments in thermal therapy with emphasis on two techniques, namely, hyperthermia [including long-term low-temperature hyperthermia (40-41 degrees C for 6-72 hr), moderate-temperature hyperthermia (42-45 degrees C for 15-60 min), and thermal ablation, or high-temperature hyperthermia (> 50 degrees C for > 4-6 min)]. The article will also provide an overview of a wide range of possible mechanisms and biological effects of heat. This information will be discussed in light of what is known about the degree of temperature rise that is expected from various sources of energy. The review concludes with an evaluation of human exposure risk to EM energy or the corresponding heat, trends in equipment development, and future research directions.