Thermal gradient and response to estrogens or antiestrogens in advanced breast cancer

The correlations between the thermal gradient of superficial breast cancer lesions (before and 15 days after starting treatment) and the end results of hormonal therapies with estrogen and antiestrogens were investigated. Forty-four women with a median age of over 70 with locally advanced breast cancer and/or metastases mainly located in soft tissues entered the study. Twenty-two patients were treated with diethylstilbestrol sodium diphosphate (20 mg/day i.m.) and the other 22 with tamoxifen (20 mg/day orally). The initial iperthermia was reduced after 15 days in more than 50% of the cases and remained stationary in the others. The cases with a thermal gradient more than 2 degrees C of the tumors did better, in terms of remission, following therapy (64.7% versus 37.0%. However, an early decrease of the same gradient in the course of therapy appears scantily related to the response. The therapeutic results in the 2 groups were very similar: 45.5% complete or partial regression, with a median duration of more than 8 months, in those treated with diethylstilbestrol and 50%, with a median duration of more than 11 month, in those treated with tamoxifen. Only in some cases of the first group of patients the treatment was discontinued due to severe side effects.