Recent technological advancements in radiofrequency- andmicrowave-mediated hyperthermia for enhancing drug delivery
Review article, 2020

Hyperthermia therapy is a potent enhancer of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In particular, microwave (MW) and radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia devices provide a variety of heating approaches that can treat most cancers regardless the size. This review introduces the physics of MW/RF hyperthermia, the current state-of-the-art systems for both localized and regional heating, and recent advancements in hyperthermia treatment guidance using real-time computational simulations and magnetic resonance thermometry. Clinical trials involving RF/MW hyperthermia as adjuvant for chemotherapy are also presented per anatomical site. These studies favor the use of adjuvant hyperthermia since it significantly improves curative and palliative clinical outcomes. The main challenge of hyperthermia is the distribution of state-of-the-art heating systems. Nevertheless, we anticipate that recent technology advances will expand the use of hyperthermia to chemotherapy centers for enhanced drug delivery. These new technologies hold great promise not only for (image-guided) perfusion modulation and sensitization for cytotoxic drugs, but also for local delivery of various compounds using thermosensitive liposomes.

Radiofrequency

Microwave

Hyperthermia

Drug delivery

Author

M. M. Paulides

Erasmus MC Cancer Institute

Eindhoven University of Technology

Hana Dobsicek Trefna

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing and Biomedical Engineering

S. Curto

Erasmus MC Cancer Institute

Dario B. Rodrigues

University of Maryland

Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

0169-409X (ISSN) 18728294 (eISSN)

Vol. 163-164 3-18

Subject Categories

Energy Engineering

Other Physics Topics

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

DOI

10.1016/j.addr.2020.03.004

PubMed

32229271

More information

Latest update

3/12/2021