Oncological hyperthermia in focus at ICHO2025

Dr. Mohamed Ali Zayen at the 14th International Congress of Hyperthermic Oncology in Korea

From September 10 to 13, 2025, international physicians and researchers will convene at the 14th International Congress of Hyperthermic Oncology. The conference brings together leading experts, researchers, and clinicians from around the world to present and discuss the latest developments and innovations in the field of hyperthermic oncology.

Dr. Mohamed Ali Zayen as one of the speakers at the international conference in South Korea - sharing the latest knowledge about oncological hyperthermia.

The International Congress for Hyperthermic Oncology (ICHO) 2025 presented a wide range of knowledge, experiences, and expertise regarding hyperthermia. Various highly qualified lectures from experts from all over the world focused on the role of hyperthermia as an adjunct therapy in cancer treatment, typically in combination with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.

Targeted goals: improving local tumor control, increasing the efficacy of existing therapies, reducing side effects, and exploring new biological mechanisms.

Areas of Focus:

Clinical studies (particularly in breast cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic, liver, and brain tumors)

Immunological effects (e.g., impact on T-cells)

Technological developments (e.g., new devices, models for temperature planning, thermometry)

Systematic Reviews and Registry Projects

Clinical Studies:

Breast cancer recurrences: Combining radiotherapy with hyperthermia demonstrated high survival rates (6-month OS 95.6%) and excellent local control without severe additional toxicities.

Non-melanoma skin cancer: Initial Phase III protocols are evaluating whether hyperthermia can achieve equivalent efficacy with reduced radiation doses and lower side effects.

Mesothelioma: Case reports showed successful outcomes with surgery combined with intrathoracic chemotherapy and hyperthermia.

Pain management: Hyperthermia significantly alleviated pain in advanced tumors (p=0.004) without compromising quality of life.

Immunological Effects

In breast cancer, hyperthermia increased CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations, partially associated with improved treatment response.

 Technological and methodological advances:

 • Development of fundamental treatment planning models that account for temperature uncertainties and optimize radiotherapy.

• New devices enable more effective heating of deeper tumors, although technical limitations remain for breast tumors greater than 4 cm deep.

• Establishment of the Swiss National Hyperthermia Registry for the systematic collection of routine data, significantly strengthening the evidence base.

Groundbreaking synergies have been observed with radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The biggest challenges for the future remain data standardization.

The Seoul congress once again underscored that hyperthermia is evolving from an adjunct therapy to an integral component of modern oncology treatment strategies.