Local Hyperthermia in Combination with Radiotherapy of Chestwall involved Lung Carcinomas

Two patients with primary lung carcinoma were treated by local hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy at the National Medical Center Hospital. We used 8MHz radiofrequency (RF) capacitive heating equipment. Hyperthermia was administered locally once a week or twice a week after irradiation, for 60 minutes. Radiotherapy was performed in fractions of 2 Gy per day, 5 days a week to 60 Gy. Tumor temperature was continuously measured by thermocouples inserted into tumors through endoclosed catheters, while thermal distributions with tumors and surrounding normal tissues were obtained. Thermometry results were as follows. (1) The maximum temperatures arround the vertebral bones or the inside of the ribs were about 41°C. (2) The maximum temperatures of the normal lung tissues were about 41°C. (3) The maximum tumor temperatures were 42-44°C.Each cases showed PRb when the tumor response was assessed by tumor size measurement on CT scan. But histopathological examinations demonstrated more effectiveness of the tumor tissues, almost cancer cells showed the fibrotic or necrotic changes. But degenerated cancer cells were partially remaining especially in the tumor tissues which were localized around the vertebral bones or the inside of the ribs. This is the most important problem with the heating to the lung tumors.Complications were not seen in this treatment.This preliminary results suggest the effectiveness of RF capacitive heating combined with irradiation for lung carcinomas.