The Role of Hyperthermia in the Treatment of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies

Purpose of Review Hyperthermia is used to treat peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM), particularly during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This manuscript provides a focused update of hyperthermia in the treatment of PSM. Recent Findings The heterogeneous response to hyperthermia in PSM can be explained by tumor and treatment conditions. PSM tumors may resist hyperthermia via metabolic and immunologic adaptation. The thermodynamics of HIPEC are complex and require computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The clinical evidence supporting the benefit of hyperthermia is largely observational. Summary Continued research will allow clinicians to characterize and predict the individual response of PSM to hyperthermia. The application of hyperthermia in current HIPEC protocols is mostly empirical. Thus, modeling heat transfer with CFD is a necessary task if we are to achieve consistent and reproducible hyperthermia. Although observational evidence suggests a survival benefit of hyperthermia, no clinical trial has tested the individual role of hyperthermia in PSM.