Fever-range whole-body hyperthermia (FR WBH) has no direct cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. Therefore, FR WBH in the treatment of cancer does not replace standard therapies but works as a supportive adjunct to these therapies. Moreover, it is used as a maintenance therapy after achieving tumor remission, based on the stimulation of anti-tumor immune surveillance. The reduction of risk of recurrence has often been reported but it has not yet been proven by comparative clinical trials.
New pre-clinical findings as well as first clinical experiences suggest a promising combination of immunogenic cell death inducing cytotoxic therapies including radiotherapy and some chemotherapies (e.g., Oxaliplatin) along with fever-range WBH. These therapies trigger "danger signals" that are then developed into a strong anti-tumor immune response by fever-range WBH.
A systematic basic research of the immune effects of fever-range WBH has revealed many of the underlying mechanisms, reviewed in Repasky et al.
