利用體外超音波源對癌症患者的體內病灶照射，可加強放射線療法或化學療法對癌症之療效，且此種熱療法亦得成為獨立之癌症療法。前述之療法無須進行外科手術開刀，且無須對患者全身麻醉，因而減少許多相應之治療風險與副作用。本文簡介此癌症超音波熱療法之主要儀器組成、加熱原理、熱劑量計算方法、能量聚焦原理、治療計畫之電腦輔助原理與此等療法於人體之生化原理，以利讀者了解此種需要跨領域專業之儀器的相關基本理論。

Irradiating the diseased site of a patient having cancer using external ultrasonic sources could enhance the effi cacy
of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and these kinds of treatments by themselves could be an option of therapies
treating cancer. The aforementioned therapies require no surgical operation and general anesthetization, and
thus they have lower risk and fewer complications associated with them. The article briefl y introduced the major
components of the devices for these kinds of therapies, the principles of heating, the methods for calculation of
the thermal dose, the principles of energy focusing, the principles of computer-aided treatment planning, and the
biochemical principles for applying these therapies to human; this introduction would help the readers understand
the related multi-disciplinary principles associated with these kinds of therapies.