8,700 Studies Reviewed. 87.0% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Cancer & Tumors

MICROWAVE INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA – RADIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SUPERFICIAL HUMAN MALIGNANCIES

Bioeffects Seen

Harvey, H.A., Dritschilo, A., Whitson, D.C., Harnish, S., Molliterno, and T.Y. Scovel · 1979

Share:

Medical microwave hyperthermia requires extreme power levels far beyond consumer device emissions to achieve therapeutic tissue heating effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1979 clinical study treated 10 patients with skin cancers using microwave hyperthermia (heating tissue to 43-50°C) combined with radiation therapy. The research found that microwave-induced heating alone was relatively ineffective, but showed promise when combined with conventional radiation treatment for certain skin cancers and melanoma metastases.

Why This Matters

This early medical research reveals something crucial about microwave energy that often gets lost in today's EMF debates: the power levels matter enormously. The therapeutic microwaves used here were deliberately designed to heat tissue to dangerous temperatures - something your cell phone or WiFi router simply cannot do at the power levels they operate. The study's finding that localized microwave hyperthermia was 'relatively ineffective' without radiation therapy actually demonstrates the biological reality that low-power microwave exposure, like what we encounter from everyday devices, produces fundamentally different effects than high-power therapeutic applications. What this means for you is that while medical-grade microwave equipment can intentionally damage tissue for cancer treatment, the vastly lower power emissions from consumer electronics operate in an entirely different biological realm.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Cite This Study
Harvey, H.A., Dritschilo, A., Whitson, D.C., Harnish, S., Molliterno, and T.Y. Scovel (1979). MICROWAVE INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA – RADIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SUPERFICIAL HUMAN MALIGNANCIES.
Show BibTeX
@article{microwave_induced_hyperthermia_radiotherapy_in_the_treatment_of_superficial_huma_g5031,
  author = {Harvey and H.A. and Dritschilo and A. and Whitson and D.C. and Harnish and S. and Molliterno and and T.Y. Scovel},
  title = {MICROWAVE INDUCED HYPERTHERMIA – RADIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SUPERFICIAL HUMAN MALIGNANCIES},
  year = {1979},
  
  
}

Quick Questions About This Study

The study heated tumors to 43-50°C (109-122°F) using specialized medical microwave applicators. These extreme temperatures were necessary to damage cancer cells, requiring power levels thousands of times higher than consumer electronics.
Patients received microwave hyperthermia treatments at 43°C for six minutes per session. The study tested various schedules from weekly treatments to five consecutive sessions combined with radiation therapy.
No, the study found localized microwave hyperthermia was 'relatively ineffective' when used alone. The treatment showed promise only when combined with conventional radiation therapy for skin cancers and melanoma.
Recurrent epidermal carcinoma of the head and neck, plus cutaneous metastases from melanoma, appeared most suitable for the combined microwave hyperthermia and radiation therapy approach according to researchers.
The study reported that radiation therapy combined with microwave hyperthermia treatment was 'well tolerated' by patients, though specific side effects weren't detailed in this early clinical protocol research.