Hyperthermia effects in animals with spontaneous tumors.

Hyperthermia caused complete regression of various animal tumors. Preliminary indications are that hyperthermia combined with irradiation increased the probability for tumor control with no increase in normal tissue complications. Dose-response assays planned will make comparisons of hyperthermia and irradiation alone and combined more meaningful. Whole-body hyperthermia alone and combined with chemotherapeutic agents is being studied in dogs. Of great interest is the toxicity observed in older animals bearing tumors. Their response is more relevant to that expected in humans with cancer than is that of young healthy animals.