Cellular responses to combinations of hyperthermia and radiation.
The two principal rationales for applying hyperthermia in cancer therapy are that: (a) the S phase, which is relatively radioresistant, is the most sensitive phase to hyperthermia, and can be selectively radiosensitized by combining hyperthermia with x-irradiation; the cycling tumor cells in S phase which would normally survive an x-ray dose could thus be killed by subjecting these cells to hyperthermia; and (b) the relatively radioresistant hypoxic cells in the tumor may be selectively destroyed by combinations of hyperthermia and x-irradiation. Both of these rationales have been mentioned as reasons for using high LET irradiation in cancer therapy; therefore where such irradiation may be of use, hyperthermia may also be advantageous.
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature; D002455:Cell Division / Q000528:radiation effects; D002465:Cell Movement; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology; D008433:Mathematics; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D013997:Time Factors; D014964:X-Ray Therapy
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone