newsOn January 10, the Second (Guangzhou) International Conference on Oncological Hyperthermia and the CACA Hyperthermia Guideline Tour Lecture (Guangzhou Station), organized by the International Society of Clinical Oncology (ISCO), the Hyperthermia Oncology Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA), and the Hyperthermia Expert Committee of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO), was grandly held in Guangzhou. The conference was hosted by Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Guangzhou Fosun Chancheng Hospital.
The event brought together top experts from the global oncology field. Academician Fan Daiming, President of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, Chair of the Asian Oncology Society (AOS), President of the World Integrated Oncology Society, and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as the Honorary Chairman. Professor Yang Daoke, the inaugural President of the Radiotherapy Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Professor Long Zhixiong, the first Chairman of the Radiosurgery Committee under the Radiotherapy Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and Professor Tang Rijie, Vice Chairman of the Minimally Invasive Therapy Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, also served as Honorary Chairmen. Professor Xiao Shaowen, Chairman of the CSCO Hyperthermia Committee, and Professor Chen Jinfei, Chairman of the CACA Hyperthermia Oncology Committee, served as Conference Chairmen. Professor Jia Jun, Vice Chairman of the Oncology Committee of the Guangdong Medical Association, Professor Nie Dahong, the founding Director of the Radiotherapy Department at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, and Professor Dong Wenguang, Vice Chairman of the Hyperthermia Committee under the Radiotherapy Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, jointly served as Executive Chairmen. Over 300 experts from renowned hyperthermia-related fields both domestically and internationally attended the conference, with presentations focusing on the latest concepts, strategies, technologies, and achievements in the field of tumor hyperthermia.
In his address at the conference, Academician Fan Daiming, President of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, provided an insightful overview, highlighting hyperthermia as the internationally recognized fifth major modality for cancer treatment. By leveraging the principle of temperature differential, it achieves a precise balance between eradicating tumor cells at 43°C and maintaining human tolerance at 47°C, establishing itself as an effective and safe green therapy. Since its approval by the U.S. FDA in 1985, hyperthermia technology has continuously evolved, with breakthroughs in temperature control—particularly from China—offering new solutions for challenging conditions such as abdominal tumors, benefiting countless patients. Moreover, the synergistic application of hyperthermia with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy can achieve a combined effect greater than the sum of its parts, enhancing efficacy while reducing toxicity and side effects, thereby paving a new path for integrated cancer treatment.
Globally, hyperthermia is widely practiced across many countries and regions, including North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Professor Xiao Shaowen, Chair of the CSCO Hyperthermia Committee and Conference Chairman, noted that in Asia, hyperthermia is utilized in China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, and Taiwan, China, with China playing a leading role. Currently, China leads the world in both the number of hyperthermia cases and the quantity of hyperthermia equipment. Against the backdrop of the deepening concepts of "green therapy and precision medicine," tumor hyperthermia, with its advantages of low damage, minimal side effects, repeatability, and combinability, offers a more humane and sustainable treatment option for patients with advanced cancer, recurrent or metastatic disease, and those unable to tolerate surgery or intensive therapies.
"In recent years, hyperthermia, as a green, painless, and non-invasive treatment modality, has emerged as a 'new powerful tool' in oncology due to its unique efficacy and strong compatibility," said Tan Minghua, President of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Guangzhou Fosun Chancheng Hospital. He emphasized that advanced equipment is essential for the precise application of hyperthermia. The hospital will leverage this recognition as an opportunity to build a high-level platform integrating clinical practice, scientific research, education, and training, actively exploring and promoting standardized diagnostic and treatment pathways for tumor hyperthermia, and contributing "Guangdong’s experience" to enhancing China’s comprehensive cancer prevention and treatment capabilities.
"Tumor hyperthermia is a green therapy, effective across a broad range of conditions and with minimal side effects on the body," said Professor Tang Rijie, Honorary Chairman of the conference and Vice Chairman of the Minimally Invasive Therapy Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association. He noted that hyperthermia can be applied to almost all tumors except those in the eyes and brain, primarily serving as an adjuvant therapy. It inhibits cancer cell proliferation and complements radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, increasing patients' sensitivity to these treatments while reducing the associated suffering. Hyperthermia is recognized as a green therapy actively promoted by the state. Professor Tang emphasized that the direct killing of tumor cells at sufficiently high temperatures is a consensus in the medical community, with hyperthermia utilizing various heat sources—such as radiofrequency, microwave, ultrasound, and laser—to deliver treatment at temperatures of 39–42°C. In recent years, hyperthermia has gained increasing acceptance among cancer patients for its ability to eradicate tumors, enhance the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, prolong survival, alleviate pain, and improve quality of life.
Cancer treatment relies on the synergy and integration of multiple modalities. During the conference's topic-sharing session, the focus was on how hyperthermia, as a unique "green therapy," can be deeply integrated with other cancer treatments. Professor Jia Jun, Executive Chairman of the conference and Vice Chairman of the Oncology Committee of the Guangdong Medical Association, highlighted the synergistic mechanisms and practical benefits of combining immunotherapy with hyperthermia in the clinical treatment of lung cancer. She described hyperthermia as an "enhancer" for anticancer therapies, maximizing their value. By heating the tumor area with physical energy, hyperthermia not only directly kills tumor cells but also alters the tumor microenvironment and enhances the immunogenicity of tumor cells, significantly boosting the efficacy of immunotherapy. Clinical data show that patients receiving combined therapy achieve significantly higher objective response rates compared to those treated with immunotherapy alone, without a notable increase in immune-related adverse reactions, and with good patient tolerance. This "1+1>2" treatment model effectively delays disease progression, offering advanced lung cancer patients longer survival benefits and improved quality of life, demonstrating broad clinical prospects.
At the conference, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Guangzhou Fosun Chancheng Hospital was honored as the "National Demonstration Base for Tumor Hyperthermia." Chairman Xiao Shaowen remarked that in recent years, hospitals in Guangzhou have achieved remarkable results in the application of tumor hyperthermia. Guangdong Pharmaceutical University Guangzhou Fosun Chancheng Hospital leads nationally in terms of clinical case volume, hyperthermia technology, equipment, and scale. Following a comprehensive evaluation by a joint expert panel from the National Tumor Hyperthermia Collaboration Platform, the hospital was designated as a national demonstration base.
During the award ceremony, Professor Tang Rijie, the leading expert of the hospital’s Minimally Invasive Interventional and Hyperthermia Center for Oncology, stated that the hospital is one of the earliest in China to implement tumor hyperthermia, boasting a hyperthermia center with the most comprehensive equipment and significant technical advantages nationwide. In recent years, the hospital has invested heavily in acquiring advanced radiofrequency hyperthermia systems, the only ones in China capable of delivering both whole-body and localized deep hyperthermia. This enables the development of more personalized and precise treatment plans tailored to patients with different tumor types and disease stages. He expressed that this recognition will serve as an impetus to further elevate medical technical standards, bringing renewed hope and the prospect of overcoming cancer to more patients.