Significance of Thermo-Chemotherapy as a Tumor Dormancy Therapy for Unresectable or Recurrent Gastrointestinal Malignancy

Satoru Miyazaki, Masayasu Hamaji, Masaaki Izukura, Junichi Nishijima, Kunihiko Oku, Yoshio Oka, Hiroshi Nakano and Yukihiro Nishida

Department of Surgery, Higashi-Osaka City General Hospital

We evaluated thermochemotherapy in tumor dormancy therapy for unresectable and recurrent gastrointestinal malignancies. Subjects were 74 patients with unresectable or recurrent cancer: 24 with hepatic lesions, 33 with pancreatic lesions, and 17 with pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer. Hyperthermia was instituted once a week using radio frequency (13.56 MHz) capacitive heating equipment. Mitomycin C and cisdiamine dichloroplatinum were simultaneously given during sessions. We evaluated antitumor effects: tumor shrinkage, tumor markers in serum, and clinical symptoms: and prognosis. A favorable response was seen in 38%of hepatic lesions, in 25% of pancreatic lesions, and in 29% of pelvic lesions. A reduction in tumor markers was seen in 63% of hepatic lesions, in 68% of pancreatic lesions, and in 43% of pelvic lesions. Clinical symptoms were ameliorated in 63% of hepatic lesions, in 73% of pancreatic lesions, and in 64% of pelvic lesions. One-year survical based on tumor response was 29% in partial response (PR), 30% in no change (NC), 0% in progressive disease (PD) for hepatic lesions, 50% in PR, 25% in NC, 0% in PD for pancreatic lesions, and 25% in PR, 30% in NC, 0% in PD for pelvic lesions. Survival was significantly higher in PR and NC than in PD. Thermochemotherapy thus contributes to antitumor effects and to survival in patients with unresectable and recurrent cancer lesions. We concluded that hyperthermia is valuable as a tool of inducing dormancy in tumor.

Key words
thermo-chemotherapy, tumor dormancy therapy, gastrointestinal malignancy

Reprint requests
Satoru Miyazaki Dept. of Surgery, Higashi-Osaka City General Hospital 3-4-5 Nishiiwata, Higashi-Osaka, 578-8588 JAPAN

Accepted
December 19, 2000

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