The combination of radiotherapy and cytostatic chemotherapy in the treatment of malignant tumours

Radiotherapy is now often combined with cytostatic treatment. The timing may have been agreed on prior to treatment, but it may also be due to the course of the disease. Radiosensitization - increasing the effects of radiation by the administration of cytostatic agents - is possible by the incorporation of pyrimidin-analogous substances into the DNA before irradiation. Cytostatic antibiotics potentiate the effects of radiation on the neoplasm as well as on the healthy tissue surrounding it while most of the other cytostatic agents have merely an additive effect. The so-called synchronised radiotherapy with 5-fluorouracil has brought about interesting results since the side effects are kept insignificant when there is a coordinated timing. In most other cases, however, the combination of radiation and cytostatic agents will lead to frequent and severe complications. (orig./AK)