Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1997

HlGHLIGHTS OF RGC-FUNDED PROJECTS A Heated Combat Suppressing the Growth of Tumour Cells with Hyperthermia T raditional treatments of cancer include chemo t he r apy , r ad i o t he r apy, and surgery. Researchers are continuously seeking new treatment methods that are effective and, at the same time, cause minimal side effects. Hyperthermia is a relatively new method of treating cancer, w h i c h can be a p p l i e d s i ng ly or i n c omb i n a t i on w i t h other a n t i - t umo ur treatments. It involves the application of heat to suppress the growth of tumour cells through the use of devices that generate microwaves or electromagnetic waves, or by directly immersing the patient in a hot water bath. Hyperthermia The use of hyperthermia to treat cancer was suggested b y researchers in the early seventies but has remained unpopular. This is p a r t l y due to the h i g h costs of sophisticated facilities for the treatment and partly because its effect is obvious only on tumours located close to the body surface, such as melanoma, breast cancer, and cancer of the head and neck, where heat can be Chinese University Bulletin Autumn . Winter 1 997 2 0