Head and Neck Cancer
HYPERTHERMIA IMPROVES RADIATION TREATMENT RESULTS FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER BY 42%. (3)
Each year, more than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with head and neck cancer, a disease that can affect the appearance of the face and neck, speech, sight, smell, chewing, swallowing and taste. Many of these tumors are treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. One randomized clinical study has shown that the combination of hyperthermia and radiation therapy improves complete response rate by 42% over radiation therapy alone. (3)
In a clinical study conducted in Italy involving 41 patients (44 nodes) with inoperable Stage IV head and neck cancer, patients receiving hyperthermia and radiation therapy had an 83% complete response rate compared to 41% for patients who received radiation therapy alone, and the 3-year local relapse-free survival rate was 24% for patients receiving only radiation and 68% for those who received both radiation and hyperthermia therapy.
Our physician, Dr. Oscar Streeter, has published (Chang P, Sapozink M, Grunberg S, Jozsef G, Rice D, Formenti S, Streeter O. Unresectable Primary and Recurrent Head and Neck Tumors: Effect of Hyperthermia and Carboplatin- Preliminary Experience. Radiology 2000; 214; 688-692) on the safety and effectiveness of using Carboplatin in combination with Hyperthermia for unresectable primary and recurrent head and neck cancer. Concurrent hyperthermia and chemotherapy, or even trimodality treatment (chemo + radiation + hyperthermia) may be another possible treatment option for patients with aggressive disease.
To schedule an appointment, please call the Center for Thermal Oncology at (888) 580-5900 or schedule an appointment online.
(3) Valdagni. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 15, 959-972, 1988.