50 Hyperthermia.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
50 Hyperthermia.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Speaker1:
Hi and welcome to the Cancer Secrets podcast. I am your host and guide, Dr. Jonathan Stegall. Cancer is like a thief who has come to steal, kill and destroy. I have personally seen it wreak havoc on patients, friends and even my own family. But I am on a mission to change the cancer paradigm through the practice of integrative oncology cancer treatment that integrates the best of conventional medicine with the best of alternative therapies backed by science and personalized to each patient. You need a positive voice you can trust. This podcast will share valuable information to give you practical hope for a better outcome. So I invite you to join me on this journey as we seek to change the cancer paradigm together. Hello and welcome back to the Cancer Secrets podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Jonathan Stegall. This is season four and episode number 50. In today's episode, we'll be discussing heat therapy, also known as hypothermia. As always, I encourage you to listen with a loved one or friend. I believe you will find today's episode very interesting and helpful. Hypothermia uses heat from hyper meaning high and thermo, meaning temperature. We use hypothermia to attack cancer in novel ways. Although hypothermia is a predominant term for this therapy. You might also hear it referred to as thermal therapy, thermal therapy or even heat therapy. Generally speaking, hypothermia involves the therapeutic use of higher than normal temperatures. Hypothermia isn't a new concept. Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine once said, and I quote, Those who cannot be cured by medicine can be cured by surgery.
Speaker1:
Those who cannot be cured by surgery can be cured by heat. Those who cannot be cured by heat are considered to be incurable, end quote. Medicine during Hippocrates time was not nearly as sophisticated as it is today, but people at that time still saw that there was benefit to heat. My guess is that they observe the fever process in action and suspected that it could be useful in healing a variety of ailments. Heat has been used throughout history in a variety of ways. Research into the effects of hypothermia on cancer has largely occurred over the past 50 years, with a bulk of the research taking place over the last 20 years. A 2002 article in the Annals of Oncology entitled Heating the Patient A Promising Approach outlined a clear rationale for using hypothermia in cancer treatment. This was based on research showing that temperatures between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius, which corresponds to 104 to 111 degrees Fahrenheit, has a direct, cytotoxic effect. And when we say cytotoxic, we mean cancer cell killing. Research showing significant improvement in clinical outcomes for a wide variety of cancer types was noted in this article. Another article from 2002, this time in critical reviews in oncology and hematology entitled The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Hyperthermia, noted that several clinical trials found an improvement in both control of tumor size, as well as patient survival as a result of hypothermia. This paper was important in that it outlines several important effects of hypothermia. We'll discuss those now. First is mentioned previously, hypothermia has a direct cytotoxic effect.
Speaker1:
So we know that it's damaging cancer cells directly. It turns out that heat is more damaging to cancer cells than it is to normal, healthy cells. In other words, we don't have to be as concerned with collateral damage to healthy cells. Another benefit of hypothermia is an alteration in the tumor microenvironment. When we refer to the tumor microenvironment, we are referring to a tumor into the area immediately surrounding it. Research has shown us that this tumor microenvironment is in some ways its own little ecosystem. It differs from normal tissue and that it tends to be more acidic with a lower oxygen content. This is because cancer grows so rapidly that it often outgrows its blood supply. In order to overcome this problem. Tumors stimulate the creation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Because we know that cancer cells and as a result, tumors themselves are requiring a high amount of resources to fuel their growth and development. It makes sense that they want as much blood supply as possible. After all, the blood is how cells obtain oxygen, nutrients and other energy sources. But we can take advantage of this using hyperthermia heat applied to the tumor microenvironment increases blood flow to that area. For this reason, in my practice, we combine hyperthermia with chemotherapy by strategically heating tumors and timing this precisely with the administration of chemotherapy. We expect to have better targeting of our chemotherapy to areas where it most needs to go. And research has shown this to be the case with hyperthermia, resulting in the uptake of chemotherapy by cancer cells by as much as 3,000%.
Speaker1:
Better targeting of our chemotherapy means less collateral damage as well, which means lower risk of side effects. In addition, hyperthermia has been shown to enhance the immune response. This is very important because the tumor microenvironment is normally immune suppressive unless we do something about it. We know that cancer cells have a wide variety of strategies to evade recognition by the immune system and thus avoid being killed by the immune system. However, in the presence of hyperthermia, a direct antitumor immune response is stimulated. One of the major takeaways from research is that hyperthermia is far more potent when used in combination with conventional therapies such as chemotherapy. A 2008 article in the European Journal of Cancer noted that one of the hallmarks of hyperthermia is a synergistic effect with chemotherapy. The authors state quote The positive results of randomized trials have definitely established hyperthermia in combination with chemotherapy as a normal clinical modality for the treatment of. Answer, end quote. Other research has shown that hyperthermia improves the efficacy of chemotherapy by up to 500%. These are large numbers. Finally, hyperthermia has also been shown to reduce resistance in cancer cells. Resistance simply means that cancer cells have adapted to a given treatment, such that the treatment no longer works to harm the cancer. This is commonly seen when using standard chemotherapy regimens high doses of chemotherapy coupled with long lag times of between one and four weeks until the next treatment can be given. Greatly increases the risk of resistance developing over time. Hyperthermia helps us reduce the risk of resistance happening, as does using lower doses of chemotherapy more often.
Speaker1:
This is an approach known as fractionated metronomic chemotherapy, something we've discussed previously on this podcast. There are several different ways to apply hypothermia. One method of applying hypothermia is known as whole body hypothermia. In this approach, the body temperature is raised to approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit using specialized incubators and or very hot blankets. This is obviously a dangerous procedure, given the fact that a very high fever is induced, which can cause significant untoward effects. Another way to administer hypothermia is known as regional hypothermia. This involves heating large areas of the body, such as a body, cavity or limb. One common way of doing regional hypothermia is through what is known as continuous, hypothermic peritoneal perfusion or CHP. This is a surgical procedure where heated chemotherapy drugs are given through a warming device directly into the abdominal region to speed to treat specific types of cancer there. Yet another way to provide hypothermia and the one which I feel is the safest and most reliable is known as local hypothermia. This entails heating, a small area such as a tumor, using an external heat source. This is a non-invasive treatment, which quite simply entails using a therapy pad applied over the skin. The technology we use in my office allows the heat to collect a certain depth below the skin in the area of interest where the cancer is, rather than on the skin itself. This virtually eliminates the risk of skin burns, which was a problem with the older local hypothermia machines.
Speaker1:
In my office, we found local hypothermia given in this fashion to be safe, well-tolerated and effective. And in case you're wondering, local hypothermia does not affect total body temperature. So there's no risk of developing a fever as a result of this approach. As we can see, hypothermia offers many advantages. I believe that hypothermia represents a novel way to treat cancer. Research thus far has shown it to have many advantages, as we've discussed. I consider it an essential component of my integrative cancer treatment protocols. As a final word of caution, please don't view hypothermia as a stand alone treatment. It's most effective when combined with more powerful treatments such as chemotherapy. Although hypothermia is very safe, it is a treatment that you should only get from a qualified medical doctor who is trained in hypothermia. In other words, this is not a treatment you can or should do at home. I hope you found this information to be helpful. I'm truly honored to be able to share my knowledge, research and clinical experience with you. As a reminder, please subscribe to the Cancer Secrets podcast to be notified when new episodes are released. We have some great shows planned for the remainder of season four and I can't wait to share them with you. If you're enjoying these podcasts, please take a moment and provide a review on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Finally, please share this podcast with your family and friends. All previous episodes are available for free on our website. Cancer Secrets. Until next time. Bye bye.
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