[Basic and clinical investigations of the effectiveness of hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy and irradiation in the treatment in patients with esophageal carcinoma]

Abstract

Concomitant application of hyperthermia, bleomycin and irradiation led to a maximal effect, compared with findings in cells treated with a single or two modalities in vitro. The synergistic effect of the combination with hyperthermia and irradiation was exhibited in all layers of multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS). The combined effects of water-bath hypothermia at 42.5 degrees C for 30 min, 1/10 LD50 bleomycin iv, and 200 rad irradiation were also demonstrated in DDD strain male mice with Ehrlich ascites tumor. According to the results of in vitro and in vivo studies, hyperthermia combined with irradiation and chemotherapy was prescribed for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The long term results were compared between two groups of patients treated with hyperthermo-chemo-radiotherapy and those treated with chemo-radiotherapy but not hyperthermia. The five year survival rates of patients with resectable carcinoma, given preoperative hyperthermo-chemo-radiotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy were 43.2% and 14.7%, respectively. As severe side effects in patients given hyperthermia were nil, this treatment deserves serious consideration when treating patients with a malignant lesion of the esophagus.