At least 60 medical institutions nationwide are adding hyperthermia to their treatments of cancer in combination with drugs and radiation, because the three-way approach has been effective in reducing and eradicating diseased cells.
One such institution is Nishide Hospital, Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture, which has used hyperthermia, which is somewhat akin to a microwave, on around 400 patients.
There are several reasons why heating is effective against cancer. The cells have a high degree of acidity and are influenced by high temperatures. In addition, unlike healthy blood vessels, blood vessels in cancerous tissues do not expand even if heated. Therefore, such vessels cannot radiate heat enough and are liable to have higher temperatures.