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Radiobiologic modeling of cytoprotection effects in radiotherapy
George A Plataniotis1, Roger G Dale
1Department of Radiotherapy, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece. gplatan@med.uth.gr
Purpose:
To investigate the potential for mathematical modeling of the normal tissue-sparing effects of cytoprotective agents used in conjunction with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Methods And Materials:
The linear quadratic model was modified to include a "cytoprotection factor," in two alternative ways. The published results on the incidence of treatment-related oral mucositis in patients treated for head-and-neck carcinoma using radiotherapy alone or combined with chemotherapy were assessed against the model to determine the likely values of the cytoprotection factor required to confer a reasonable degree of cytoprotection.
Results:
In both of the model alternatives considered, a cytoprotection factor value of < or = 0.85 was required for a clinically detectable degree of cytoprotection to be realized. A cytoprotection factor value of 0.85 would mean that the radiation sensitivity coefficients would be effectively reduced by 15% on account of the action of the cytoprotector.
Conclusion:
The incorporation of a cytoprotection factor into an existing linear quadratic method would allow a quantitative assessment of cytoprotection and could be useful in the design of future clinical studies.
