Integrating Loco-Regional Hyperthermia Into the Current Oncology Practice: SWOT and TOWS Analyses
In most protocols of studies and routine use, hyperthermia is combined with other therapeutic modalities, acting as a potent radiosensitizer, chemosensitizer and immunomodulator. The publication provides a most helpful overview on the underlying mechanisms.
Using the SWOT matrix, the Strengths (S), Weakness (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T) of hyperthermia are analysed, followed by a TOWS analysis identifying "these relevant strategies to expedite the integration of hyperthermia in clinical oncology practice:(a) Well-designed multicentric phase III trials in tumor sites, especially in those clinical situations where standard therapeutic interventions yield unsatisfactory outcomes (e.g., locally advanced pancreatic cancers) and also in situations where organ preservation approach with HT could add immense value to the quality of life (e.g., soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and anal cancers).(b) Improved quality assurance measures in HT treatments: this includes use of reliable and reproducible operator-independent treatment control procedures based on online planning and online temperature feedback to achieve the desired tumor temperatures.(c) Increasing awareness among the oncologists and patients about the potential therapeutic advantages with HT.(d) Increasing health insurance and reimbursements highlighting the cost–benefit and cost-effectiveness of integrating HT with existing treatment modalities."The publication of Datta NR, Kok HP, Crezee H, Gaipl US, Bodis S is open access available at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.00819/full