Regional hyperthermia for clinically advanced deep-seated pelvic malignancy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Deep-seated pelvic malignancies present significant treatment challenges.
• Regional hyperthermia (HT) is explored as an adjunct to conventional therapies.
• The BSD-1000 HT system with an annular phased array (AA) applicator is utilized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of regional hyperthermia in patients with deep-seated pelvic malignancy.
• To identify factors correlated with treatment response and patient survival.

Main Methods:

• Forty-three patients with pelvic malignancy received HT using the BSD-1000 system and AA applicator.
• Acute toxicity, power-limiting factors, and treatment-related complications were recorded.
• Thermal mapping and dosimetry were performed; logistic regression analyzed response predictors.

Main Results:

• The most frequent acute toxicities included pain and bladder spasm.
• Pain and excessive heating of normal tissues were common power-limiting factors.
• Concurrent radiation dose and satisfactory heat treatments independently correlated with response (p=0.002).
• Responders showed significantly longer median survival (10 months) than non-responders (4 months; p=0.0014).

Conclusions:

• Regional hyperthermia can be safely administered for pelvic malignancies, with manageable acute toxicities.
• Treatment efficacy, indicated by response and survival, is strongly associated with radiation dose and heat treatment quality.
• Further investigation into optimizing HT parameters is warranted to maximize therapeutic benefit.