Oncological Hyperthermia in Radiation Oncology

Oncological hyperthermia, the controlled elevation of tumor temperature to 39–45°C, has emerged as a promising adjunct to conventional cancer therapies. Preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrates that hyperthermia enhances radiosensitivity, improves chemotherapy delivery, and modulates antitumor immune responses. Despite decades of research and multiple randomized controlled trials showing improved outcomes, hyperthermia remains underutilized in clinical practice. Barriers include a lack of standardized treatment protocols, limited availability of specialized equipment, and insufficient awareness among oncology professionals. Recent developments signal renewed interest and institutional commitment to integrating hyperthermia into modern radiation oncology practice.This Research Topic aims to consolidate current knowledge, highlight emerging evidence, and identify future directions for oncological hyperthermia within radiation oncology. We seek to bridge the gap between preclinical promise and clinical implementation by presenting high-quality research that addresses key challenges: establishing robust clinical evidence, advancing treatment planning and thermal dosimetry, exploring novel technologies, and investigating synergies with immunotherapy. By gathering contributions from researchers, clinicians, and physicists, this collection will serve as a resource for the oncology community and a catalyst for collaboration.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Mini Reviews, Clinical Trial reports, and Perspective articles that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:• Hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy: clinical outcomes, radiobiological mechanisms, and treatment optimization.• Hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy (thermochemotherapy): drug sensitization and pharmacokinetic effects.• Hyperthermia and immunotherapy: immune modulation, abscopal effects, and combination strategies.• Novel hyperthermia technologies: modulated electro-hyperthermia, magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia, high-intensity focused ultrasound, and emerging delivery systems.• Photothermal therapy via light‑mediated tumor heating, nanoparticle‑assisted thermal delivery, and integration with radiotherapy or multimodal cancer treatment strategies.• Photodynamic therapy via mechanisms of tumor cell killing, immune modulation, and combination approaches with radiotherapy or hyperthermia.• Treatment planning, thermal dosimetry, and quality assurance: standardization of dose concepts (e.g., CEM43), MR thermometry, and treatment verification.• Evidence synthesis: meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and real-world evidence studies.• Implementation science: barriers to adoption, training, and health economics considerations.We encourage submissions from multidisciplinary teams, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, biologists, and translational researchers. This Research Topic offers a platform to advance hyperthermia from an underutilized modality to an integrated component of precision oncology. We invite you to contribute to this growing field and shape the future of multimodal cancer treatment.Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Gil Alberto Batista Gonçalves, Youfang Lai, Mau-Shin Chi, Hans Crezee Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83036/oncological-hyperthermia-in-radiation-oncology