Introduction: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death on earth. Hyperthermia, among others, is a type of cancer treatment. The beginnings of the use of heat for healing purposes date back to 3000 BC. It is a treatment in which body parts or the whole body are systematically or locally heated by external sources in order to destroy cancer cells or increase the effects of other types of therapy, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The method has few negative side effects, but serious side effects are very rare. The effects of heat on tumor cells can be direct or indirect. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma thesis is to research and describe the hyperthermia treatment, its different types, its history and progression over time and the impact it has on tumor cells. Methods: We used a descriptive method with a systematic review of literature. The search took place between 10.12.2023 and 28.2.2024 on various databases. We searched literature in slovenian and english language. Literature was selected with the help of inclusion and exlusion factors. The process of collecting and extracting literature was done according to the PRISMA method. Results: The findings of the articles included in the systematic literature review are presented in a table below, in which we described 20 articles. We focused on the effectiveness of treatment with hyperthermia in various cancer types and in different combinations with other treatments. Discussion and conclusion: Based on a review of the literature, we found that hyperthermia, as an adjunctive treatment, is an effective adjucnt that improves survival rates and increases the effectiveness of cancer treatment without causing many additional and severe negative consequences to patients.
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