Methods are provided for the treatment of diseases and disorders using systematically-introduced nanoparticles to create a focused localized hyperthermia in a target area to enhance the effect of additional treatment therapies such as ionizing radiation. Advantages include an enhancement of the therapeutic effect of other therapies by increasing perfusion or reducing hypoxia in the treatment area, further, the methods herein may also result in the disruption of the vasculature, which provide further impetus for such treatments, singly and in combination with conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Methods for treating a target area may comprise systemically introducing nanoparticles into an organism allowing the nanoparticles to preferentially accumulate in the target area, applying an external energy where the nanoparticles are adapted to transduce at least a portion of the external energy into a heal energy so as to create a focused localized hyperthermia and applying a subsequent additional therapy.
