Effects of fever-range hyperthermia on T cell-mediated immunity: Possible combination of hyperthermia and T cell-based cancer immunotherapy

Abstract

Elevated body temperature has been thought to play an important role in the regulation of immune responses, and accumulating evidence in thermal medicine indicates that hyperthermia could be a useful combination therapy to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. However, the intrinsic effects of elevated body temperature on the immune system are poorly understood, particularly in humans. Future clinical studies are expected to elucidate the practical utility of hyperthermia, and in particular fever-range whole-body hyperthermia in combination with T-cell and/or DC-based cancer immune cell therapy.