Effect of hyperthermia on tumor blood flow

Issue title: Special Issue for the Fifth International Congress of Biorheology. Part II. Baden-Baden, F.R. Germany, 20–24 August 1983

Guest editors: Alfred L. Copley and Siegfried Witte

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Müller-Klieser, W. | Vaupel, P.

Affiliations: Department of Applied Physiology, University of Mainz, Saarstrasse 21, D-6500 Mainz/FRG

Abstract: Differences in blood perfusion rates between tumors and normal tissue can be utilized to selectively heat many solid tumors. Blood flow in normal tissues is considerably increased at temperatures commonly applied during localized hyperthermia. In contrast, tumor blood flow may respond to localized heat typically in two different blood flow patterns: Flow may either decrease continuously with increasing exposure time and/or temperature or flow may exhibit a transient increase followed by a decline. A decrease in blood flow at high thermal doses can be observed in most of the tumors, whereas an increase in flow at low thermal doses seems to occur less frequently. The inhibition of blood flow at high thermal doses may lead to physiological changes in the microenvironment of the cancer cells that increase the cell killing effect of hyperthermia. Flow increases at low thermal doses can enhance the efficiency of other treatment modalities, such as irradiation or the administration of antiproliferate drugs.

Keywords: Hyperthermia, tumor blood flow, microcirculation, cellular microenvironment

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1984-21412

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 529-538, 1984