Robert E. Shupe

Preliminary clinical results of combined 433 megahertz microwave therapy and radiation therapy on patients with advanced cancer

Seventy patients with far‐advanced histologically proven malignancies were treated with a combination of microwave irradiation (433.92 MHz) and ionizing radiation. Of the twenty‐one patients who completed the planned course of treatments and are eligible for a minimum of nine‐month follow‐up, 90% experienced complete relief of symptoms and 10% received partial relief of symptoms. Complete regression of all localized tumor occurred in sixteen of the twenty patients (80%), and nine of the complete responders remain free of disease from nine to fourteen months. It was the opinion of the clinicians involved in this study that the heat administered by the microwave unit potentiated the effects of ionizing radiation over those which would have been seen if radiation were used alone. In view of the fact that all patients in this study had cancers which were previously considered to be refractory to further medical treatment, the marked relief of symptoms and tumor response to combined therapy were encouraging. This preliminary study confirms the impression that the effects of radiation are enhanced by heat and forms the basis for a randomized series involving far‐advanced but previously untreated head and neck and gynecological malignancies. Cancer 40:2854‐2863, 1977.

Advanced stage IIIB cancer of the cervix treatment by hyperthermia and radiation.

Treatment records of patients with primary untreated Stage IIIB carcinoma of the cervix treated at Indiana University Department of Radiation Oncology from November 1964 through January 1979 were reviewed. During this period, 79 patients were treated; 46 received external therapy using cobalt-60, 15 received a 25-MV photon beam, and 18 received a 25-MV photon beam followed by 45 min of 434-MHz microwave hyperthermia producing central tumor core temperatures of 39.5 to 41.5 degrees C. All patients received similar doses of radiation using combination intracavitary radioactive isotopes and external therapy. Patients who received heat therapy in combination with radiation therapy did not have increased acute or chronic complications of normal tissues. Local tumor control was superior when regional heat therapy was given; however, long-term absolute survival rates were not affected as the survival rate at 5 years was not statistically different in any of the three treatment groups.

Radiation and Microwave Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Cancer

Seventy-two patients with advanced cancer were treated with combinations of heat and radiation in two groups: (a) heat + radiation, and (b) radiation + heat. Of those treated with heat prior to radiation therapy, 32/60 (53%) experienced complete remission of symptoms. In the group exposed to heat after radiotherapy, 11/12 patients (92%) achieved complete remission. The authors present two cases and a review of the literature.

Whole-body hyperthermia decreases lung metastases in lung tumor-bearing mice, possibly via a mechanism involving natural killer cells

The effects of whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) on the course of the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and B16 melanoma (B16) were examined. WBH was generated by microwave (2450 MHz) at an intraperitoneal temperature of 39.5–40.0°C and an intratumoral temperature of 40.0–40.5°C for 30 min once a week, ×3 (LLC) or ×6 (B16). The mice were sacrificed 21 days (LLC) or 42 days (B16) after tumor implantation and lung metastases were scored. Natural killer (NK)-cell activity was determined against the YAC-1 tumor target in WBH-treated tumorbearing mice as well as in tumor-bearing mice but untreated controls. The number of lung metastases was significantly reduced and NK-cell activity was higher in animals treated with WBH. Thus, this study suggests that WBH interferes with the spread of organ metastases, possibly through a mechanism involving NK cells.

An Overview of the Role of Radiation Therapy and Hyperthermia in Treatment of Malignant Melanoma

From January, 1970 until December, 1987, a total of 188 malignant melanoma lesions in 92 patients were treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana. Response was evaluated in 181 evaluable lesions treated by radiation alone and radiation plus hyperthermia to assess differences in response to a total dose, dose per fraction and overall time of treatment, as well as effects of adjunctive hyperthermia treatment. Different fractions of radiation, ranging from 100 cGy to 1000 cGy, were used. Local hyperthermia was administered for one hour following radiation treatment using microwave with different frequencies. The tumor temperature was also monitored during treatment. With a radiation dose of less than 400 cGy per fraction, and complete response rate (CR) was 34% (16/47) and the objective response rate (OR) was 62% (29/47). When hyperthermia was added, the complete response rate rose from 34% to 70%. With a dose of more than 400 cGy per fraction, the CR was 63% (48/77), and OR was 95% (73/77). When hyperthermia was added, the complete response rate rose from 63% to 77%.

The effect of MPG on radiation-induced odontogenic tissue metaplasia☆

This investigation monitored the effect of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG) in reducing radiation damage to the tooth-forming tissues. Fifty rats were exposed to x-ray doses of between 3 and 19 Gy directed toward the maxillary incisor germinal centers. Half of the animals were given an injection of MPG before irradiation, while the other rats were injected with saline solution. Administration of MPG did not significantly reduce the frequency of dentinal niche formation relative to the control teeth. The average lengths and percentage depths of the apicoincisal niches were statistically smaller in the groups treated with MPG. Although statistically significant, the mild protective effect of MPG was not clinically important because damage to the irradiated teeth was still extensive.