title: Assessment of combined thermoradiotherapy in recurrent of advanced carcinoma of the breast.
abstract: During 1980 to 1983, 40 patients with advanced or locally recurrent breast cancer were treated with the thermo-radiotherapy. Ten of these were primary cases and 30 recurrent. In 23 patients who had 2 to 3 lesions. Altogether there were 64 lesions treated. Combined thermo-radiotherapy was applied to the bigger lesions (42 in number) and irradiation alone to the small ones (22 in number). Average size of lesions treated with combined therapy was 38.7 cm2 and that by irradiation alone was 12.1 cm2. In 20 patients of this series previous irradiation (40-65 Gy) were given. Hyperthermia was given by using microwave 2450 MHz and 915 MHz, twice a week, 15-30 minutes following irradiation. Intratumoral temperature was maintained at 41-44 degrees C for 40 minutes. A average of 11.6 sessions of heat was given. Radiotherapy was given after conventional freactionation technic 2-2.5 Gy/day x 4-5/week to reach a total dosage of 20-80 Gy (average 47 Gy). Notwithstanding the size of tumor treated with combined therapy was 2 to 3 times larger than that treated by radiotherapy alone, the CR rate, of lesions after combined therapy was significantly better than radiation alone, 64.3% V.S. 36.4% (P less than 0.01). The authors believe that the optimal size of tumor for hyperthermia using microwave 2450 MHz or 915 MHz may be less than 5-6 in diameter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation physics, Tianjin Cancer Institute, China.
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: T Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced; D008872:Microwaves / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012074:Remission Induction