Dr Carrie - ONC Hyperthermia

09/10/2026

🔥 WHAT TYPES OF CANCER CAN HYPERTHERMIA BE USED FOR?

Hyperthermia uses carefully controlled heat to increase the temperature of tumour tissue and may help make cancer cells more sensitive to treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But which cancers can it be used for?

Depending on the type of hyperthermia, tumour location and individual treatment plan, hyperthermia has been used or studied in cancers including:

🎗️ Cervical cancer
🎗️ Breast cancer, including some recurrent tumours
🎗️ Head and neck cancers
🎗️ Bladder cancer
🎗️ Re**al cancer
🎗️ Pancreatic cancer
🎗️ Prostate cancer
🎗️ Ovarian cancer
🎗️ Soft-tissue sarcomas
🎗️ Melanoma and other superficial tumours

🔬 Why add heat to cancer treatment?

Cancer cells living within poorly oxygenated areas of a tumour can sometimes be more resistant to radiation and other treatments. Controlled heating can produce biological changes that may make tumour cells more vulnerable to treatment.

Hyperthermia may also:

🔥 Increase blood flow and oxygenation in tumour tissue
🔥 Interfere with cancer cells' ability to repair treatment-related damage
🔥 Enhance the effects of certain chemotherapy drugs
🔥 Increase sensitivity to radiotherapy
🔥 Influence the tumour microenvironment and immune response

⚠️ Hyperthermia is not suitable for every cancer or every patient.

Its use depends on factors such as the cancer type, stage, tumour location, previous treatments and the hyperthermia technology available.

Most importantly, hyperthermia is used as a complementary treatment alongside conventional oncology care — not as a replacement for it.

💙 The goal isn't simply to add heat. It's to use heat strategically to help other cancer treatments work more effectively.

08/10/2026

Did you know that during your hyperthermia treatments your blood circulates throughout your entire body every 6 to 7 minutes. This causes your body to warm up slightly during treatments.

08/10/2026

🔥 WHAT MAKES SOME TUMOURS MORE RESPONSIVE TO HYPERTHERMIA?

Not all tumours respond to hyperthermia in exactly the same way.

Several characteristics of a tumour can influence how effectively heat affects cancer cells — and interestingly, some of the features that make tumours difficult to treat can also make them vulnerable to hyperthermia.

🩸 Poor blood flow

🫁 Low oxygen levels (hypoxia)

🧬 Reduced ability to repair damage

📍 Tumour size, depth and location

⏱️ Temperature and treatment timing

It is about understanding tumour biology, heat delivery and how hyperthermia can work together with other cancer treatments.

07/10/2026

Myth Buster!

Do Hyperthermia treatments make you all hot and sweaty?

07/10/2026

☢️ WHAT IS A RADIATION SCIENTIST?

Behind many modern cancer treatments is a team of specialists working to make radiation therapy as safe, accurate and effective as possible.

A radiation scientist works with the science and technology of ionising radiation. Depending on their specific role, they may be involved in radiation research, treatment technology, radiation measurement, safety, quality assurance and improving how radiation is used in healthcare.

🔬 Their work may include:

• Studying how radiation interacts with cells and tissues
• Helping develop and evaluate new radiation technologies
• Measuring and monitoring radiation
• Supporting radiation safety and quality assurance
• Conducting research to improve cancer treatment
• Working alongside oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists and other healthcare professionals

In oncology, radiation science plays an important role in understanding how radiation can be delivered to damage cancer cells while protecting healthy tissue as much as possible.

Every advancement in cancer treatment begins with science — and radiation scientists help turn that science into safer, more precise treatment.

💙 Research today helps shape the cancer treatments of tomorrow.

06/10/2026

September is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in South Africa, putting the spotlight on one of the country’s leading cancers among women. The latest National Cancer Registry data recorded more than 7,400 diagnosed cases in 2022. But beyond awareness and prevention, researchers are also exploring ways to make existing cancer treatment more effective. One such approach is hyperthermic oncology, which uses controlled heat alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We’re joined by radiation scientist and researcher Dr Carrie Minnaar to unpack the science, the research and what it could mean for women with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Click the link below:
https://omny.fm/shows/the-national-pulse/cervical-cancer-awareness-month

September is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in South Africa, putting the spotlight on one of the country’s leading cancers among women. The latest National Cancer Registry data recorded more than 7,400 diagnosed cases in 2022. But beyond awareness and prevention, researchers are also exploring wa...

06/10/2026

Exciting times ahead in Hypertherima treatments!

🔥 THE FUTURE OF HYPERTHERMIA IN CANCER TREATMENT

Hyperthermia is no longer simply about heating a tumour.

The future of this field is focused on precision, personalisation and combination therapy.

Researchers are investigating how controlled hyperthermia may:

🔬 Make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation
💊 Enhance the effects of certain chemotherapy treatments
🛡️ Influence the tumour immune environment
🎯 Deliver increasingly targeted treatment to tumour tissue
🧬 Work alongside emerging immunotherapies
🌍 Expand access to complementary cancer treatment in resource-limited healthcare systems

One of the most exciting areas of research is the relationship between hyperthermia and the immune system.

By altering the tumour microenvironment and promoting signals associated with immunogenic cell death, hyperthermia may potentially help the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells more effectively.

🔥 Heat may be an old concept in medicine, but its role in modern precision oncology is still evolving.

05/10/2026

Mindful Mondays.

Hope is powerful, especially on the days when it feels hardest to find.

05/10/2026

Mindful Mondays!

Be the reason someone feels seen, heard and valued today!

02/10/2026

Cancer can make one vunerable to abuse, lets all be aware, stand up for each other and let create safe spaces for survivors of abuse!