Combined hyperthermia and chemotherapy as a synergistic anticancer treatment

To date, hyperthermia and chemotherapy have been widely investigated in the field of anticancer nanomedicine. However, in many cases, the efficacy of monotherapies have been limited owing to the heterogeneity of cancers and the acquired drug resistance. Noteworthy, hyperthermia has been demonstrated to offer numerous advantages when integrated with chemotherapy in nanoplatforms, namely increased accumulation of drugs in tumor site, enhanced cellular uptake, inhibition of DNA repair, and accelerated drug cytotoxicity against cancer cells. These evidences suggest a promising anticancer synergistic effect of hyperthermia and chemotherapy. This review will discuss the underlying mechanisms of action of chemo-hyperthermia combination therapy, and especially the strategies of design of advanced nanocarriers to effectively co-deliver hyperthermia and chemotherapeutic agents to the tumor based on various types of materials.