title: The response of human and rodent cells to hyperthermia.
abstract: Inherent cellular radiosensitivity in vitro has been shown to be a good predictor of human tumor response in vivo. In contrast, the importance of the intrinsic thermosensitivity of normal and neoplastic human cells as a factor in the responsiveness of human tumors to adjuvant hyperthermia has never been analyzed systematically. A comparison of thermal sensitivity and thermo-radiosensitization in four rodent and eight human-derived cell lines was made in vitro. Arrhenius plots indicated that the rodent cells were more sensitive to heat killing than the human, and the break-point was 0.5 degrees C higher for the human than rodent cells. The relationship between thermal sensitivity and the interaction of heat with X rays at low doses was documented by thermal enhancement ratios (TER's). Cells received either a 1 hr exposure to 43 degrees C or a 20 minute treatment at 45 degrees C before exposure to 300 kVp X rays. Thermal enhancement ratios ranged from 1.0 to 2.7 for human cells heated at 43 degrees C and from 2.1 to 5.3 for heat exposures at 45 degrees C. Thermal enhancement ratios for rodent cells were generally 2 to 3 times higher than for human cells, because of the fact that the greater thermosensitivity of rodent cells results in a greater enhancement of radiation damage. Intrinsic thermosensitivity of human cells has relevance to the concept of thermal dose; intrinsic thermo-radiosensitization of a range of different tumor cells is useful in documenting the interactive effects of radiation combined with heat.
authors.affiliation: Center for Radiological Research, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roizin-Towle
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pirro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001254:Astrocytoma; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D005910:Glioma; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007624:KB Cells; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D008545:Melanoma; D013816:Thermodynamics