Chemotherapy resistant sarcoma treated with whole body hyperthermia (WBH) combined with 1-3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU)

Abstract

Seventeen patients with chemotherapy-resistant metastatic sarcoma were treated with whole body hyperthermia (WBH) combined simultaneously with 1-3-Bis(2-chloro-ethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). All of the patients had chemotherapy resistant metastases to major organ sites. Patients were heated to 41·8–42·0°C for 2 h using an insulated blanket heating technique. Two patients (12%) experienced partial responses (PR). In addition, four objective tumour responses (OR) lasting more than 4 months were documented. One patient with previously rapidly growing chondrosarcoma pulmonary metastases experienced stable disease (SD) for 38 months from the onset of treatment. Median survival of seven patients with responding tumours (PR, OR and SD) compared with 10 patients with progressive disease was 15 versus 2 months, respectively. Cumulative thrombocytopenia was a therapy-limiting toxicity of the combined treatment, and occurred in six of seven patients. Acute toxicities attributable to WBH alone included transient thrombocytopenia in all patients, non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema in two patients, and mild hypotension in five patients. Acute granulocytosis was observed in all patients. No treatment related deaths occurred. These data suggest that WBH combined with chemotherapy is associated with disease response in patients with chemotherapy-resistant, widely disseminated sarcoma metastases.

Key Words:

• BCNU
• sarcoma
• whole body hyperthermia