March 28, 2024 Your Source for Brentwood News

Hyperthermia Cancer Institute: Giving All Cancer Patients Hope

Call us as soon as you can after you are diagnosed with cancer. 

Located in the heart of Santa Monica, Hyperthermia Cancer Institute (HCI) is a gentle FDA-approved treatment designed to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to treat a wide range of tumors, regardless of their stage, giving all patients a unique source of hope. 

Hyperthermia is a targeted, non-invasive cancer therapy that is FDA-approved to treat cancers in combination with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. The treatment uses ultrasound technology to carefully direct heat to the location of the tumor at depths in the body of up to 10 cm beyond the body’s natural layer of fat. During treatment, ultrasound energy slowly increases the temperature of the tumor up to approximately 109°F.

“Somewhere between 106o-109o seems to be a magic window where a variety of changes take place in that tumor,” said Dr. Joseph J. Pinzone, Medical Director at HCI. “It is a little higher than a fever and a little cooler than the hottest California day. We heat the tumor for approximately 45 minutes at that temperature. What that does is increase the blood flow to the tumor.”

Joseph J. Pinzone, M.D.”

According to Dr. Pinzone, patients who have recently been diagnosed with cancer have a big challenge. 

“Their biggest challenge is to decide what the optimal therapeutic regimen is initially because that is going to set the trajectory of their entire clinical course,” Dr. Pinzone said. “I would say that in my mind every patient with cancer, regardless of the stage, should give us a call and potentially be seen by me so that we can figure out whether and how we could improve their other therapies and improve their overall outcome.” 

For patients that have disease at an early stage, where cure is a realistic possibility, coming into the clinic at a timely fashion is critical. 

“We can help the chemotherapy work better, we can help the radiation therapy work better, but we can’t do that if they come into us after they have already received that therapy,” Dr. Pinzone said.

According to Dr. Pinzone, if people have a high likelihood of cure, doctors are often very excited to treat those patients, but he encourages patients to come in as soon as possible, ideally before they start on their journey. HCI will work with them and with their doctors to try and improve their chance of cure.

“If I were to say one thing to patients who have a real shot at cure, it would be they only have one shot. And it is to their benefit to optimize that initial treatment regimen in order to maximize the chance that they are cured. If hyperthermia can be part of that, they should come and see me and determine that early, because again, they only have one shot of getting that disease cured. If that initial regimen does not work, they are in a completely different clinical situation,” Dr. Pinzone said. 

HCI also offers hope for patients experiencing a recurrence of the cancer after an initial treatment. According to Dr. Pinzone, hyperthermia is also very effective in helping these people. 

“In many ways, that is the sweet spot of hyperthermia,” Dr. Pinzone said. “We have demonstrated in a number of different tumor types that adding hyperthermia to chemotherapy and/or to radiation therapy can help two things. Most commonly, disease-free survival. That means that the length of time that a person is in remission. And in some cases, we actually improve overall survival of those patients who have recurrent disease.”  

Stage 4 cancer patients also can benefit from hyperthermia. Stage 4 typically means the tumor has spread to a different organ, not just surrounding lymph nodes, as in breast cancer spreading to the liver. Not only does that person have multiple sites with tumors, but each of those sites are shedding tumor cells into the blood and they are at risk of having other parts of the body develop cancer. And while typically in that situation there is a low likelihood of cure, Dr. Pinzone says hyperthermia can be utilized in a special way: targeting the most vulnerable organs, where failure of those organs will give the patient the biggest problem. 

“If we are successful in those organs, success looks like either no tumor growth, tumor shrinkage, or in some cases, complete resolution of the tumor in that organ. Now granted they may have disease in other parts of the body, but why would that be important to them? It is important to them because we can, in that situation, potentially extend their life because we helped that critical organ. It is a different landscape now from when our technology was first FDA-approved. Now the pace of innovation in medicine is so fast that it is possible that next year they may have something that is unbelievably effective to treat the rest of the tumors in their body. So, if we can preserve their quality of life and possibly increase their lifespan, even by a year, by helping to stop the growth or shrink the tumor in that critical organ, then they can do what we call ‘innovation jump’, Dr. Pinzone said. 

This approach improves the possibility that even patients with advanced disease have an increased chance of disease-free survival, and therefore an invaluable sense of hope. 

“We can treat almost any part of the body and…improve the effectiveness of other therapies,” Dr. Pinzone said. “That really translates into increased hope that they can then have a better quality of life, live longer, and be around for that next innovation that just might be curative.”

As one of the preeminent centers for hyperthermia, Hyperthermia Cancer Institute treats a large number of patients. What patients don’t know, however, until they come in is that the staff at HCI offers an unmatched patient experience and that starts with their first phone call. People experience an environment that is extremely welcoming with clear recommendations, but zero pressure to do anything in particular. and a strong support system. In addition, HCI has many patients from out-of-town and the staff often help these patients with travel and housing to both coordinate it and, in some cases, to help offset the cost through various foundations. 

“Because we have close bonds with patients, we develop a tremendous amount of trust and that allows us to be an unbiased sounding board, which translates not just to a more pleasant experience and not just to increase effectiveness because they are receiving hyperthermia treatments. It also allows us to help them to navigate,” Dr. Pinzone said. “We are able to provide something that our patients tell us they value tremendously which is guidance, a respite often from their day–it’s a gentle therapy in a therapeutic environment– and just an amazing bond with the people who are going through their journey with them.” 

To find out more about whether hyperthermia can help you, call Hyperthermia Cancer Institute at 888-580-5900 or visit their website at www.hcioncology.com.

Related Posts

Cantonese Dim Sum Master Chef Tony Opens Hollywood Dim Sum at TCL Chinese Theatre

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Experience Exquisite Dim Sum Creations in the Heart of Hollywood 97 years after its founding, the TCL Chinese Theatre will...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren Headlines Stand with Israel Luncheon

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Distinguished Statesman Shares Insights on Israel’s Future  In Brentwood, one of Israel’s most distinguished statesmen, Ambassador Michael Oren, a diplomat...

Attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs Denounces Investigation as “Witch Hunt”

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Legal Representative Criticizes Probe Amid Federal Sex Trafficking Inquiry An attorney representing Sean “Diddy” Combs criticized the investigation into the...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles Dinner Celebrates LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Unity

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Notable Figures Gathered to Champion LGBTQ+ Rights and Combat Discrimination By Aneesha Pappy  The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s...

California Bars and Nightclubs Must Offer Drug Testing Devices Starting July 1

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

New Law Mandates License Holders to Provide Drug Testing Kits to Patrons Beginning July 1, establishments with Type 48 licenses...

Opinion: West Los Angeles Needs to Care about Veteran Homelessness

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

By Kelly Kravchuk  Veteran homelessness is a public health concern that impacts my West Los Angeles community. As a USC...

Brentwood Library Schedule of Events For This Week Includes New Initiative

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Storytime, STAR Reader Sessions, and Kindergarten Prep Activities Scheduled events for this week at the Brentwood Library include Toddler/Preschool Storytime...

Federal Agents Raid Property Linked to Music Mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs In Holmby Hills

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Authorities Conduct Searches in Los Angeles as Part of Ongoing Sex Trafficking Probe Federal agents from the Department of Homeland...

Biden Signs Government Funding Bill with Ban on Pride Flags at Embassies

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

White House Vows Repeal Amid Controversy Over LGBTQ Provision President Biden signed a huge government funding package on Saturday, which...

City of Los Angeles Pays Nearly Half a Billion in Liability Claims Over Four Years

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

LA Controller’s Report Reveals Significant Payouts from General Fund LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia has continued to audit the City...

Infamous Beverly Hills Mansion Where Menéndez Brothers Committed Murders Sells for $17 Million

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

Notorious Property Closes Deal Exactly 28 Years After Conviction A mansion in Beverly Hills, California, notorious for being the site...