Hyperthermia may Decrease the Development of Telangiectasia After Radiotherapy

Abstract

Case report: A patient with recurrent breast cancer was reirradiated twice on adjacent fields with a time interval of 9 months. The first time she was treated with reirradiation alone, the second time with reirradiation plus hyperthermia. The reirradiation schedule for both fields was 8 × 4 Gy in 4 weeks. Both fields overlapped partly with the field of postoperative radiotherapy, which was applied 57 and 66 months earlier to a total dose of 40.5 Gy.

Results: During the 52 to 61 months follow—up, a remarkable difference in telangiectasia development, between the parts of the reirradiation fields overlapping with the primary radiotherapy field, became apparent. Telangiectasia was observed 9 months after treatment with reirradiation alone and progressed to confluent in 47 months after treatment. In the reirradiation plus hyperthermia area, the maximum observed telangiectasia was slight until 52 months after treatment.

Discussion: The difference in the development of telangiectasia between these fields cannot be explained by differences in any of the known radiation treatment related prognostic factors. A protective effect by hyperthermia has been suggested by Haveman and coworkers, who have shown experimentally that heat treatment leads to enhanced proliferation of endothelial cells, thereby inducing a fast repo pulation and replacement of X-ray damaged cells.

Conclusion: This difference in telangiectasia formation is an interesting observation. Whether such a protective effect of hyperthermia is of general relevance has to become clear from more extensive clinical studies.

Key Words:

• Breast cancer
• reirradiation
• hyperthermia
• telangiectasia
• radiation protection