The combined effect of preoperative hyperthermia and radiation therapy on advanced rectal carcinoma

The combined effects of preoperative hyperthermia and radiation therapy were evaluated histopathologically for 60 patients with advanced rectal carcinoma located in the lower part of the rectum. Thirty-four patients were treated by preoperative radiation therapy without hyperthermia (Group A). The remaining 26 patients were treated by preoperative radiation therapy combined with hyperthermia (Group B). The total dose of radiation was 30.6 Gy. Hyperthermia was performed twice, immediately after irradiation, at one-week intervals. Effects of the preoperative treatment were assessed by histopathological findings of the resected specimens using a semiquantitative scoring system (Grade 0-3). The local recurrence rates were 17.6 and 15.4 percent in Groups A and B, respectively. No difference in the postoperative survival rates was observed between the two groups. However, regarding the pathological findings of the resected tumor, the percentage of patients with an ineffective change in the resected specimens (Grade 0) was significantly lower in Group B than it was in Group A (p=0.035). Hence, the combination of hyperthermia and preoperative radiation therapy may enhance the radiation effects on a rectal tumor and may be useful as a preoperative therapeutic strategy for rectal carcinoma. (author)