The.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (The "Bird") (09/25/90)
BACKGROUND
Both local and systemic hyperthermia have been investigated over the past 20
years as treatment modalities for various malignancies. Currently, the
concensus is that the use of hyperthermia as a single form of cancer therapy
is unwarranted because clinical reponse is typically extremely short. Thus, at
major university centers where hyperthermia is being explored, it is always
used in combination with either chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or treatment
with biological response modifiers.
The use of hyperthermia to treat HIV-related KS or to treat chronic human
viral infections has never been reported. The effect of heat on HIV and its
life cycle is of considerable interest to laboratory scientists attempting to
learn how best to control the virus. One group of investigators has reported
that heat shock can upregulate production of HIV from chronically infected
cell lines. Interestingly, a common sequalae of systemic hyperthermia is
activation of latent herpes simplex virus type I.
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