Heat Therapy Supercharges Lung Cancer Fight

Lung cancer kills millions each year. Current treatments like surgery, chemo, and immunotherapies have serious drawbacks. They often cause harsh side effects and cost a lot of money. Scientists are looking for smarter ways to fight this disease. One promising approach involves heating cancer cells to make them more vulnerable to drugs.

Researchers tested how heat helps when paired with a drug called pemetrexed. They grew A549 lung cancer cells in special growth medium. These cells were split into four groups. Some got nothing, some got heat alone, some got the drug alone, and others received both treatments together. The team then checked several things. They looked at how well the cells survived, how many died, how much lactic acid leaked out, and how reactive oxygen species built up. They also measured three important genetic markers.