Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!husc6!hao!gatech!mcnc!unc!godot!bourland From: bourland@godot.radonc.unc.edu (J. Daniel Bourland) Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.med Subject: Re: Coley's toxins Message-ID: <858@godot.radonc.unc.edu> Date: Mon, 6-Jul-87 10:11:49 EDT Article-I.D.: godot.858 Posted: Mon Jul 6 10:11:49 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 7-Jul-87 04:34:09 EDT References: <367@uop.UUCP> Reply-To: bourland@godot.UUCP (J. Daniel Bourland) Organization: Radiation Oncology NCMH/UNC, Chapel Hill, NC Lines: 16 Keywords: Hyperthermia Xref: mnetor sci.research:180 sci.med:2566 Coley was this guy who, in the late 1800s or early 1900s, noted that individuals with tumors, when they got fevers, sometimes spontaneously went into remission. He got the idea that one way to fight cancer was to induce fever. This induction he did by administering toxins, some sort of bacteria, which basically got the patient sick so that they would spike a fever and kill the tumor(s). The toxins he used were called "Coley's Toxins". Believe me, you don't want to do this kind of therapy, and you would not be able to find anyone legitimate to do it for you. Coley did help found a form of cancer therapy called hyperthermia (HYPER not HYPO), which today is starting to become a modality of cancer therapy when used in combination with radiation therapy. Hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy is also a possibility, and is being investigated. Today's hyperthermia is being used to control local disease - the heat is applied locally and sometimes regionally - the whole body approach (like Coley's) is difficult to apply and control.