Accurate Three-Dimensional Thermal Dosimetry and Assessment of Physiologic Response Are Essential for Optimizing Thermoradiotherapy

✅ 全文

精确的三维热剂量测定与生理反应评估对于优化热放射治疗至关重要

作者 Mark W. Dewhirst; James R. Oleson; John P. Kirkpatrick; Timothy W. Secomb 期刊 Cancers 发表日期 2022 ISSN 2072-6694 DOI 10.3390/cancers14071701 类型 原创研究 (Original Research)

📄 中文摘要 Chinese Abstract

中文
大量随机临床试验表明,与单独放疗或化疗相比,热疗(HT)联合放疗或化疗可改善局部肿瘤控制、无进展生存期和总生存期。尽管取得了这些成功,但并非所有患者都能从热放疗中获得最大获益,部分试验未能显示出统计学上显著的改善。肿瘤缺氧是导致放疗抵抗和治疗失败的主要因素,低氧水平还会削弱化疗和免疫治疗的疗效。本综述探讨HT是否能诱导肿瘤再氧合,从而增强放疗反应,并深入探究其背后的生理机制,重点分析接受热放疗的人类和犬类癌症数据。

📋 英文结构化总结 English Structured Summary

全文整理

EN

Background:

Numerous randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that combining hyperthermia (HT) with radiotherapy or chemotherapy improves local tumor control, progression-free survival, and overall survival compared to radiotherapy or chemotherapy alone. Despite these successes, not all patients benefit maximally from thermoradiotherapy, and some trials fail to show statistically significant improvements. Tumor hypoxia—a major contributor to radioresistance and treatment failure—is negatively impacted by low oxygen levels, which also hinder chemotherapy and immunotherapy efficacy. This review investigates whether HT can induce reoxygenation in tumors, thereby enhancing radiotherapy response, and explores the physiological mechanisms underlying this effect, particularly focusing on data from human and canine cancers treated with thermoradiotherapy.

Methods:

This is a review article synthesizing evidence from preclinical studies, clinical trials in humans, and companion dog models with spontaneous tumors. The authors analyze published and unpublished data where detailed thermometry (e.g., T₉₀, T₅₀, T₁₀, CEM43) and physiological measurements (e.g., pO₂ via Eppendorf probes or Oxford Optronix™ fluorescence lifetime probes, perfusion via DCE-MRI, hypoxia markers like pimonidazole immunohistochemistry, metabolic changes via ³¹P-MRS and ¹⁸F-FDG-PET) were co-registered with treatment outcomes. Emphasis is placed on studies assessing reoxygenation 24–48 hours post-HT and its correlation with tumor response, pathologic complete response (pCR), and local tumor control.

Results:

Clinical and veterinary studies show that HT induces reoxygenation in a subset of tumors, persisting 24–48 hours after treatment. In human soft tissue sarcomas, median pO₂ increased significantly from 6.2 mmHg to 12.4 mmHg 24–48 h after the first HT session, correlating with higher necrosis rates. In locally advanced breast cancer, responders exhibited a median pO₂ increase of 14 mmHg, while non-responders showed a 9 mmHg decrease. In canine soft tissue sarcomas, reoxygenation (measured by pO₂ and hypoxic fraction) 24 h post-HT significantly correlated with longer local tumor control. Reoxygenation was most pronounced when T₅₀ remained between 39.5–41°C; temperatures >44°C often worsened hypoxia due to vascular damage. Mechanistically, reoxygenation appears driven by reduced oxygen consumption (from direct thermal cytotoxicity at higher temperatures, e.g., T₁₀ >45°C) combined with improved perfusion at lower temperatures (e.g., T₉₀ ~40°C).

Data Summary:

Key quantitative findings include: (1) a doubling of pathologic complete response (pCR) in human soft tissue sarcomas with HT; (2) a 14 mmHg increase in pO₂ in responding breast cancers vs. a 9 mmHg decrease in non-responders; (3) significant correlations between reoxygenation (ΔpO₂, Δhypoxic fraction) and local tumor control in canine sarcomas (Pearson p = 0.023 for pO₂, p = 0.007 for hypoxic fraction); (4) CEM43T₁₀ and CEM43T₅₀ were positively associated with increased pO₂ (p = 0.0214) and reduced hypoxic fraction (p = 0.0451) at 24 h post-HT; and (5) perfusion increased in the 5-fraction HT arm but decreased in the 20-fraction arm, correlating with differential tumor volume reduction (p = 0.0022).

Conclusions:

HT-induced reoxygenation occurs clinically and persists for 24–48 hours post-treatment, contrasting with most rodent studies where effects are transient. This reoxygenation is associated with improved treatment outcomes in both human and canine cancers. The mechanism involves a dual effect: higher intratumoral temperatures (T₁₀, T₅₀) reduce oxygen consumption via direct cytotoxicity and metabolic suppression, while lower temperatures (T₉₀) enhance perfusion. However, reoxygenation is not universal—some tumors develop worsened hypoxia, likely due to vascular damage or steal phenomena. These findings underscore the importance of individualized thermal dosing and real-time monitoring of both temperature and physiological response to optimize thermoradiotherapy.

Practical Significance:

These results support the clinical utility of hyperthermia as an adjunct to radiotherapy, particularly when thermal doses are carefully controlled to promote reoxygenation. Monitoring tumor oxygenation and perfusion before and after HT could help identify patients most likely to benefit, enabling personalized treatment strategies. Future integration of non-invasive thermometry with functional imaging (e.g., MRI, PET) may allow spatial mapping of thermal and physiological responses, improving therapeutic precision and outcomes in thermoradiotherapy.

📋 中文结构化总结 Chinese Structured Summary

中文

背景:

大量随机临床试验表明,与单独放疗或化疗相比,热疗(HT)联合放疗或化疗可改善局部肿瘤控制、无进展生存期和总生存期。尽管取得了这些成功,但并非所有患者都能从热放疗中获得最大获益,部分试验未能显示出统计学上显著的改善。肿瘤缺氧是导致放疗抵抗和治疗失败的主要因素,低氧水平还会削弱化疗和免疫治疗的疗效。本综述探讨HT是否能诱导肿瘤再氧合,从而增强放疗反应,并深入探究其背后的生理机制,重点分析接受热放疗的人类和犬类癌症数据。

方法:

本文为综述性文章,综合了临床前研究、人体临床试验以及患有自发性肿瘤的伴侣犬模型中的证据。作者分析了已发表和未发表的数据,这些数据中详细记录了热剂量参数(如T₉₀、T₅₀、T₁₀、CEM43)与生理测量值(如通过Eppendorf探针或Oxford Optronix™荧光寿命探针测得的pO₂、通过DCE-MRI评估的灌注、如吡莫硝唑免疫组化等缺氧标志物、以及通过³¹P-MRS和¹⁸F-FDG-PET检测的代谢变化)与治疗结局的关联。重点评估了热疗后24–48小时的再氧合情况及其与肿瘤反应、病理完全缓解(pCR)和局部肿瘤控制的相关性。

结果:

临床和兽医研究表明,HT可在部分肿瘤中诱导再氧合,并在治疗后持续24–48小时。在人类软组织肉瘤中,首次热疗后24–48小时,中位pO₂从6.2 mmHg显著上升至12.4 mmHg,且与更高的坏死率相关。在局部晚期乳腺癌中,应答者的中位pO₂升高了14 mmHg,而无应答者则下降了9 mmHg。在犬类软组织肉瘤中,热疗后24小时测得的再氧合(通过pO₂和低氧分数评估)与更长的局部肿瘤控制显著相关。当T₅₀维持在39.5–41°C范围内时,再氧合最为显著;温度超过44°C常因血管损伤而加重缺氧。机制上,再氧合似乎由两方面共同驱动:一方面,较高温度(如T₁₀ >45°C)通过直接热细胞毒性降低氧耗;另一方面,较低温度(如T₉₀ ~40°C)可改善肿瘤灌注。

数据总结:

关键定量结果包括:(1)人类软组织肉瘤中,联合HT使病理完全缓解(pCR)率翻倍;(2)应答乳腺癌患者pO₂平均升高14 mmHg,而无应答者下降9 mmHg;(3)犬类肉瘤中,再氧合(ΔpO₂、Δ低氧分数)与局部肿瘤控制显著相关(pO₂的Pearson p = 0.023,低氧分数p = 0.007);(4)CEM43T₁₀和CEM43T₅₀与热疗后24小时pO₂升高(p = 0.0214)及低氧分数降低(p = 0.0451)呈正相关;(5)在5次热疗组中灌注增加,而在20次热疗组中灌注减少,且与肿瘤体积缩小差异相关(p = 0.0022)。

结论:

HT诱导的再氧合在临床中确实存在,并可持续至治疗后24–48小时,这与多数啮齿类动物研究中观察到的短暂效应形成对比。这种再氧合与人类和犬类癌症治疗结局的改善密切相关。其机制涉及双重效应:较高肿瘤内温度(T₁₀、T₅₀)通过直接细胞毒性和代谢抑制降低氧耗,而较低温度(T₉₀)则增强灌注。然而,再氧合并非普遍发生——部分肿瘤可能出现缺氧加重,可能源于血管损伤或“盗血”现象。这些发现强调了个体化热剂量设定以及实时监测温度与生理反应对于优化热放疗的重要性。

实际意义:

这些结果支持热疗作为放疗辅助手段的临床价值,尤其是在严格控制热剂量以促进再氧合的情况下。在热疗前后监测肿瘤氧合和灌注有助于识别最可能获益的患者,从而实现个体化治疗策略。未来将无创测温技术与功能成像(如MRI、PET)相结合,有望实现热反应与生理反应的空间映射,提升热放疗的治疗精准度和临床疗效。

📖 英文全文 English Full Text

EN

pmc Cancers (Basel) Cancers (Basel) 2105 cancers cancers Cancers 2072-6694 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) PMC8997141 PMC8997141.1 8997141 8997141 35406473 10.3390/cancers14071701 cancers-14-01701 1 Review Accurate Three-Dimensional Thermal Dosimetry and Assessment of Physiologic Response Are Essential for Optimizing Thermoradiotherapy Dewhirst Mark W. 1 * Oleson James R. 1 † Kirkpatrick John 1 Secomb Timothy W. 2 Bodis Stephan Academic Editor Ghadjar Pirus Academic Editor Van Rhoon Gerard C. Academic Editor 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; jncoleson@bellsouth.net (J.R.O.); john.kirkpatrick@duke.edu (J.K.) 2 Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; secomb@u.arizona.edu * Correspondence: mark.dewhirst@duke.edu † Retired. 27 3 2022 4 2022 14 7 405179 1701 31 1 2022 15 3 2022 27 03 2022 12 04 2022 25 08 2024 © 2022 by the authors. 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Simple Summary Many clinical trials have shown benefit for adding hyperthermia (heat) treatment to radiotherapy. Despite overall success, some patients do not derive maximum benefit from this combination treatment. Tumor hypoxia (low oxygen concentration) is a major cause for radiotherapy treatment resistance. In this paper, we examine the question of whether hyperthermia reduces hypoxia and, if so, whether reduction in hypoxia is associated with treatment outcome. The review is focused mainly on several clinical trials conducted in humans and companion dogs with cancer treated with hyperthermia and radiotherapy. Detailed measurements of temperature, hypoxia and perfusion were made and compared with treatment outcome. These analyses show that reoxygenation after hyperthermia occurs in patients and is related to treatment outcome. Further, reoxygenation is most likely caused by variable intra-tumoral temperatures that improve perfusion and reduce oxygen consumption rate. Directions for future research on this important issue are indicated. Abstract Numerous randomized trials have revealed that hyperthermia (HT) + radiotherapy or chemotherapy improves local tumor control, progression free and overall survival vs. radiotherapy or chemotherapy alone. Despite these successes, however, some individuals fail combination therapy; not every patient will obtain maximal benefit from HT. There are many potential reasons for failure. In this paper, we focus on how HT influences tumor hypoxia, since hypoxia negatively influences radiotherapy and chemotherapy response as well as immune surveillance. Pre-clinically, it is well established that reoxygenation of tumors in response to HT is related to the time and temperature of exposure. In most pre-clinical studies, reoxygenation occurs only during or shortly after a HT treatment. If this were the case clinically, then it would be challenging to take advantage of HT induced reoxygenation. An important question, therefore, is whether HT induced reoxygenation occurs in the clinic that is of radiobiological significance. In this review, we will discuss the influence of thermal history on reoxygenation in both human and canine cancers treated with thermoradiotherapy. Results of several clinical series show that reoxygenation is observed and persists for 24–48 h after HT. Further, reoxygenation is associated with treatment outcome in thermoradiotherapy trials as assessed by: (1) a doubling of pathologic complete response (pCR) in human soft tissue sarcomas, (2) a 14 mmHg increase in pO2 of locally advanced breast cancers achieving a clinical response vs. a 9 mmHg decrease in pO2 of locally advanced breast cancers that did not respond and (3) a significant correlation between extent of reoxygenation (as assessed by pO2 probes and hypoxia marker drug immunohistochemistry) and duration of local tumor control in canine soft tissue sarcomas. The persistence of reoxygenation out to 24–48 h post HT is distinctly different from most reported rodent studies. In these clinical series, comparison of thermal data with physiologic response shows that within the same tumor, temperatures at the higher end of the temperature distribution likely kill cells, resulting in reduced oxygen consumption rate, while lower temperatures in the same tumor improve perfusion. However, reoxygenation does not occur in all subjects, leading to significant uncertainty about the thermal–physiologic relationship. This uncertainty stems from limited knowledge about the spatiotemporal characteristics of temperature and physiologic response. We conclude with recommendations for future research with emphasis on retrieving co-registered thermal and physiologic data before and after HT in order to begin to unravel complex thermophysiologic interactions that appear to occur with thermoradiotherapy. thermal dosimetry hypoxia hyperthermia radiation therapy reoxygenation perfusion oxygen consumption rate local tumor control biomarker pmc-status-qastatus 0 pmc-status-live yes pmc-status-embargo no pmc-status-released yes pmc-prop-open-access yes pmc-prop-olf no pmc-prop-manuscript no pmc-prop-legally-suppressed no pmc-prop-has-pdf yes pmc-prop-has-supplement yes pmc-prop-pdf-only no pmc-prop-suppress-copyright no pmc-prop-is-real-version no pmc-prop-is-scanned-article no pmc-prop-preprint no pmc-prop-in-epmc yes pmc-license-ref CC BY 1. Introduction Key meta-analyses have been published on locally advanced cervix cancer [ 1 ], head and neck cancer [ 2 ] and chest wall recurrences of breast cancer [ 3 ], showing therapeutic benefit in terms of improvement of either/or local tumor control, progression free and overall survival after combining local-regional HT with radiotherapy. An important randomized trial comparing multi-agent chemotherapy +/− HT showed improvements in progression free and overall survival in patients with locally advanced high-risk soft tissue sarcomas in the arm receiving HT [ 4 , 5 ]. Despite the overall success of many trials, a therapeutic benefit was not obtained in all patients and some randomized trials did not show a statistically significant therapeutic benefit of HT [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Even in those patients in which there was some benefit, it may not have been maximally optimized. Demonstration of enhanced anti-tumor effect with HT would increase its wider acceptance as a viable adjuvant therapy. Thus, there is strong rationale for investigating mitigating factors that may play a role in treatment outcome. HT induces a number of biologic and physiologic effects on tumors. HT inhibits multiple DNA damage repair mechanisms, which play a major role in heat radiosensitization. The inhibition of DNA repair provides a rationale for combining HT with HSP90 (heat shock protein-90) and/or PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitors [ 9 ]. Heat shock proteins, HSP70 and HSP27, bind to enzymes to facilitate base excision repair [ 10 ]. This heat shock protein association may enhance DNA damage repair after HT. Substantiating this hypothesis is the observation that enhancement of repair of heat induced double strand breaks is linked to HSP70 and HSP27 association with heat labile DNA polymerase beta in thermotolerant cells [ 11 ]. The thermotolerance-induced enhancement of DNA damage repair could reduce the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatments administered when cells are thermotolerant [ 12 , 13 ]. If so, such an effect could reduce the impact of reoxygenation observed 24–48 h post HT, which is the main subject of this review. It is unknown whether this mechanism of thermotolerance-induced radioresistance is clinically relevant. Further research would be needed to answer this question. Maximal thermal enhancement of radiotherapy in pre-clinical and theoretical models occurs when the two modalities are given simultaneously or within a short time interval between the two [ 14 ]. The effect of time interval on radiosensitization is the result of the effects of HT on DNA damage repair [ 14 ]. Retrospective analysis of the impact of time interval between HT and radiotherapy has been controversial for cervix cancer [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. A call for standardization of methods and results reporting has been recently published [ 19 ]. Standardization of reporting will contribute significantly toward understanding how to optimize thermoradiotherapy from the perspective of methods of delivery and documentation of results. Hyperthermia also induces a number of immunostimulatory effects in both the innate and adaptive immune systems [ 20 ] that are likely important for its biological effectiveness when combined with radiotherapy. HT is cytotoxic itself, with the extent of cytotoxicity being dependent upon the time and temperature of heating [ 21 ]. Further, the cytotoxicity of HT is not dependent upon oxygen availability, so it is complementary to radiation in this respect, since hypoxia causes significant reduction in cytotoxicity of radiotherapy [ 22 ]. In this review, we will focus on the clinical observation that HT can reduce hypoxia up to at least 1–2 days after HT. Further, the reoxygenation is associated with treatment outcome in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and soft tissue sarcomas in humans and in companion dogs. These observations suggest that positive interactions between HT and radiotherapy can occur outside the short time window suggested for maximal interaction from pre-clinical studies. Tumor hypoxia is well-established as a cause for radioresistance and treatment failure [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Hypoxia is also known to negatively influence treatment response to chemotherapy [ 27 ] and immunotherapy [ 20 , 28 ], as well as contributing to tumor aggressiveness [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. A recent Special Issue in Cancers contained several original reports and contemporary review papers on the subject of tumor hypoxia [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. In this review, we will consider how thermal dose affects tumor hypoxia and, in turn, whether changes in hypoxia in response to thermoradiotherapy can influence treatment outcome. Extensive pre-clinical studies have been conducted in tumor-bearing rodents with cancer, and these studies revealed important trends in defining the relationship between conditions of thermal exposure and changes in perfusion and hypoxia [ 49 , 50 , 51 ]. It has been shown that heating rates in the range of 1 °C/min are: (1) more cytotoxic in vitro [ 52 ] and (2) more damaging to tumor microvasculature than slower heating rates [ 53 ]. Further, reduced perfusion and enhanced anti-tumor effect after HT alone has been shown to be associated with faster heating rates [ 54 ]. It is unknown whether faster heating rates impact reoxygenation 24–48 h post HT in either pre-clinical models or clinically. Heating rate effects have not been studied in conjunction with radiotherapy. If faster heating rates cause vascular damage and hypoxia, then they may result in radioresistance. For the most part, pre-clinical studies were not designed to test whether changes in perfusion and hypoxia in individual subjects were associated with individual treatment outcome. Such information is required for perfusion or hypoxia measurements to be clinically translatable. Therefore, we will review studies conducted primarily in humans and companion dogs with cancer, where detailed thermometry and physiologic data were acquired for each individual. In most cases, treatment outcome was also documented. For the purposes of this review, we define 30–60 min of “mild heating” as temperatures from 40 to 42 °C, because minimal direct cell killing occurs in this range. A number of other effects occur in this temperature range, however, including increases in perfusion [ 22 , 55 ] and vascular permeability [ 56 ], alterations in cell signaling [ 9 , 57 , 58 , 59 ], inhibition of DNA damage repair [ 9 ], inhibition of the HPV viral oncoprotein, E6 [ 60 ] and immunologic effects [ 20 ]. “Moderate heating” is defined as temperatures >42 and <44 °C. In this moderate temperature range, direct thermal cytotoxicity occurs [ 61 ], in addition to many of the effects described above in the mild heating range. “High heating” occurs at temperatures >44 °C and <50 °C. We truncate the high temperature heating at 50 °C to distinguish it from thermal ablation, which occurs at temperatures higher than 60 °C. We have adopted this classification because temperatures >44 °C can increase tumor hypoxia in canine soft tissue sarcomas, whereas below this threshold, hypoxia is either not affected or is reduced [ 62 , 63 ]. Others have used adjectival descriptors of mild (40–42 °C), moderate (42–45 °C) and T > 45 °C as causing irreversible damage [ 64 ]. This classification is similar to what we describe. We have chosen 30–60 min heating because that is the range over which HT is most often administered clinically. 2. Hypoxia Is Caused by Imbalance between Oxygen Delivery and Oxygen Consumption Rate The pO2 of any location within a tissue is governed by the balance between oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption. Oxygen delivery is influenced by the flow rate of microvessels, oxygen content, vascular density and vessel orientation surrounding the location [ 65 ]. An important question to ask is which of these factors has the greatest influence on development of hypoxia. Computer generated sensitivity studies were used to address the question of whether increasing oxygen delivery or reducing oxygen consumption rate would be more effective in reducing tumor hypoxia [ 66 , 67 ]. These simulations were based on in vivo measurements of the parameters listed above. Reducing oxygen consumption rate was more efficient by factors of 10–30-fold, compared with increasing blood flow rate or oxygen content of blood, respectively [ 66 ]. It has been shown in vitro that elevation of glucose concentration reduces oxygen consumption rate as cells switch to anaerobic metabolism. Induction of hyperglycemia with hyperoxic gas breathing was synergistic in reducing tumor hypoxia in computer simulations [ 68 ] and in vivo [ 69 ]. Similarly, the combination of HT and carbogen breathing was shown to significantly increase tumor pO2 and enhance radiotherapeutic response [ 70 , 71 ]. HT can also affect oxygen consumption rates, so it is important to consider such effects when evaluating how HT affects tumor hypoxia. In this review, we address questions about effects of HT on: hypoxia, perfusion, metabolism and oxygen consumption rate and necrosis. Some pre-clinical data will be presented as background. However, the main focus will be on what clinical evidence exists for HT affecting factors that influence tumor hypoxia and whether such changes influence thermoradiotherapeutic treatment outcome. 3. Challenges to Relating Temperatures Achieved during HT with Physiologic Response 3.1. Difference in Temperature Distributions between Rodent and Human Tumors In rodent tumors, water bath heating exposes the skin and normal tissue around the tumor to the highest temperatures because they are immediately adjacent to the water in the bath; intra-tumoral temperatures are somewhat lower and relatively uniform [ 72 ]. In human tumors, there can be large variations in temperature (several degrees above and below the median value) within tumors. The tumor margin and surrounding normal tissue may not be heated appreciably, while the interior of the tumor is hotter [ 73 ]. The spatial variation in temperature in human tumors is related to non-uniformities in power deposition from heating devices, with spatial variations in: (1) tissue properties and (2) peri- and intra-tumoral perfusion [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. The differences in the temperature distribution between rodent and human tumors may contribute to differences in physiologic response to HT ( Figure 1 ). 3.2. Thermometry in Human Tumors Is Mainly Acquired from Implanted Thermal Probes Since temperatures in human tumors are heterogeneous, thermometry is essential to assess the therapeutic value of a treatment. The vast majority of clinical thermal data to date has been derived from direct intra-tumoral measurements. Typically, one to two catheters are placed into the tumor and temperatures are measured as thermometers are pushed back and forth within the catheter [ 82 ]. The resultant data are depicted by descriptors of the temperature distribution, such as T 90 [10th percentile of distribution], T 50 [distribution median] or T 10 [90th percentile] [ 82 ]. Descriptors of the temperature distribution do not reveal anything about the spatial distribution of temperature, but rather provide an overall summary for the tumor as a whole. Non-invasive thermometry can provide spatially encoded thermal data, and this method has been implemented in some patients [ 78 , 81 , 82 ]. In the future, combinations of non-invasive thermometry with imaging of physiologic response may reveal whether intra-tumoral heterogeneity of physiologic response in tumors is dictated by local temperature variation. 4. Effects of Hyperthermia on Tumor Metabolism It has been reported previously that enzyme activity increases with temperature and time of heating until the point where enzyme denaturation occurs [ 83 ]. These effects are observed during heating and could influence oxygenation during HT. However, effects occurring during HT may not be related to what happens 24–48 h later. There are two documented effects in tumors after HT that could influence oxygen consumption rate: (1) switch to anaerobic metabolism and (2) direct cytotoxicity by hyperthermia. 4.1. Switch to Anaerobic Metabolism after Hyperthermia Treatment Kelleher utilized a near-IR heating device to heat DS-sarcomas in rats for 60 min [ 84 ]. This device yielded temperature distributions analogous to what is seen clinically, with T 90 , T 50 and T 10 values of 42.6, 43.8 and 44.8 °C, respectively. Using a bioluminescence method in snap frozen tissues, lactate and glucose levels were significantly increased, whereas ATP concentrations were decreased after HT. The depletion in ATP concentration is consistent with a reduction in oxidative phosphorylation, whereas the increase in lactate concentration is consistent with a switch to anaerobic metabolism. This switch to anaerobic metabolism is associated with reduction in oxygen consumption rate. Others have used 31-P Magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor ATP concentrations immediately after HT at various temperatures and times of heating [ 85 , 86 ]. They showed significant temperature and heating time-dependent reductions in ATP/Pi (Pi = inorganic phosphate) ratio at temperatures between 43 and 44 °C. In canine sarcomas, depletion in ATP/Pi ratio at 24 h post HT was dependent upon CEM43T 50 and CEM43T 90 during heating [ 87 ]. Further, reduction in ATP/PME [phosphomonoester] was significantly correlated with probability of pathologic complete response rate (pCR rate) in humans with soft tissue sarcomas [ 87 ]. Although the time intervals after HT when measurements were made in rodents and these spontaneous sarcomas are different, there is remarkable similarity in the temperature dependence of ATP depletion. We conducted a phase II study in human soft tissue sarcomas, where we hypothesized that reaching a pre-determined thermal dose would lead to >75% incidence of pCR rate [ 88 ]. We failed to prove the hypothesis, but in parallel studies conducted in the same patient series, we found that pre-treatment metabolic factors, such as hypoxia, phosphodiester/inorganic phosphate (PDE/Pi) and phosphomonoester/Pi (PME/Pi) ratios, were associated with pCR rate [ 89 ]. We speculated that in this particular trial, pre-treatment physiology interfered with our ability to show the hypothesized thermal dose–response relationship. Moon et al. examined potential underlying mechanisms for the apparent switch to anaerobic metabolism after 42 °C HT [ 57 ]. HT increased hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) for several hours after HT. HIF-1 is a heterodimer, consisting of HIF-1α and HIF-1β subunits. When bound together, HIF-1 enters the nucleus and initiates transcription of many genes, including PDK1 (3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1), which controls the switch to anaerobic metabolism. Normally, HIF-1α is efficiently degraded by prolyl hydroxylases that initiate degradation of HIF-1α so that the heterodimer does not form [ 65 ]. HIF-1α is stabilized during hypoxia because the prolyl hydroxylases require oxygen for their action. However, in the case of HT, inactivation of HIF-1α degradation was associated with an increase in oxidative stress. The switch to anaerobic metabolism would reduce oxygen consumption rate, since anaerobic metabolism does not rely on oxygen to produce ATP. Radiotherapy is also known to increase HIF-1 dependent transcription, but underlying mechanisms for HIF-1 upregulation are different from HT and are radiation dose dependent. For doses in the range of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, HIF-1 dependent transcription is upregulated in response to increased oxidative stress associated with reoxygenation [ 90 ], followed by prolonged HIF-1 upregulation in response to massive nitric oxide production by infiltrating macrophages [ 91 ]. Higher single radiotherapy doses, in the range of 15Gy, decrease perfusion and increase hypoxia by causing microvascular damage; HIF-1 dependent transcription is subsequently upregulated by hypoxia [ 92 ]. Mild temperature heating immediately after high dose radiation reduces the radiation induced upregulation of HIF-1α caused by vascular damage by radiotherapy [ 92 ]. These differing effects of HT and radiotherapy dose on HIF-1 expression may be important in affecting tumor metabolism and treatment response. Another method for assessing metabolic response to HT is 18-FDG-PET. Glucose uptake would be expected to increase if there is a switch to anaerobic metabolism, in the absence of extensive tumor cell killing by treatment. Some studies have been conducted in human patients prior to and after HT. However, these reports involved repeat scans taken weeks into the treatment course or even after treatment was completed. These studies showed that reductions in 18-FDG-PET uptake are associated with pathologic response in patients with esophageal cancer [ 93 ], rectal cancer [ 94 ] and soft tissue sarcomas [ 95 ]. The results are more likely dominated by extent of cell killing than by HT induced changes in cellular glucose uptake. 4.2. Direct Cytotoxicity of HT The cytotoxic effects of HT are logarithmically related to temperature and linearly to the time of heating [ 96 ]. Sapareto and Dewey were the first to develop means to relate any time–temperature history into an equivalent number of minutes of heating at 43 °C [ 61 ]. This formulation has proven useful in describing tissue damage across a range of tissue types and temperature time histories as long as temperature is less than 50 °C [ 21 , 96 ]. The acronym for cumulative equivalent number of minutes at 43 °C is referred to as CEM43. An important question is whether there is enough direct cytotoxicity from HT to influence oxygen consumption rates. Rosner et al. [ 97 ] conducted a theoretical study asking how much cell killing would be expected from a non-uniform temperature distribution typical of what is observed clinically. The temperature distributions were derived from a finite element heat transfer model of a simulated subcutaneous tumor, where power was delivered from a microwave applicator. Cytotoxicity was predicted based on a stochastic model of cell killing probability, based on survival curve data from CHO cells. For 60 min HT, the simulations revealed that 30–50% of cells would be directly killed by HT with a T 90 of 41 °C. This occurs because of cell killing temperatures higher than the T 90 . Simulated temperatures above the T 90 ranged up to 45.5 °C. Thermal killing of 30–50% of tumor cells would be sufficient to have an important impact on oxygen consumption rate and tumor hypoxia [ 66 ]. Below, we provide additional clinical results, addressing the question of whether increases in perfusion and/or direct cell killing by HT contributes to reoxygenation. 5. Effects of Hyperthermia on Tumor Perfusion and Hypoxia Most of the published pre-clinical data have focused on effects of HT on perfusion and hypoxia during or immediately after treatment. However, there is a second body of work that has focused on effects that occur 24–48 h after treatment. Both will be discussed. 5.1. Physiologic Effects during or Immediately after Heating The effects of HT on tumor perfusion and hypoxia have been studied extensively at the pre-clinical level. Pre-clinical data demonstrate an increase in perfusion and oxygenation during and shortly after heating at mild temperatures (39–42 °C) at heating times of 30–60 min [ 98 , 99 ]. At temperatures >43–46 °C for 30–60 min there is significant damage to vasculature, leading to hypoxia, anoxia and necrosis [ 100 ]. Thus, at the pre-clinical level, the physiologic response of tumors during or immediately after HT is bi-phasic. If reoxygenation occurs only during the application of HT, then taking advantage of it with radiotherapy would require simultaneous application of radiotherapy with HT. 5.2. Physiologic Effects Occurring after Heating In his Robinson Award manuscript, Oleson hypothesized that the enhanced effectiveness of HT + radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone had to be a result of reoxygenation [ 101 ]. The effectiveness of radiotherapy fractions given 24 h after HT could be influenced by HT induced reoxygenation. Part of his rationale was based on the observation that the prognostically important temperatures from clinical trials are at the lower end of the temperature distribution, where little direct cell killing occurs. Subsequent to Oleson’s paper, several papers were published, showing results that are consistent with his hypothesis. Shakil et al. [ 98 ] were the first to report on reoxygenation occurring 24 h after mild temperature water bath HT of the R3230Ac rat mammary tumor to 40.5–43.5 °C for 30–60 min. Perfusion increased by 10–33% at the end of 30 min HT. At 24 h post HT, perfusion was further increased by two-fold over baseline. Immediately after HT, pO2 values increased two-fold, compared with baseline. At 24 h post HT, pO2 remained elevated, although lower than that seen immediately after HT. Similar effects were seen in other tumor models [ 99 , 102 ]. It has been speculated that reoxygenation rarely occurs hours to days after HT in human subjects; if it does occur, it has little to do with enhancing cell killing by radiotherapy [ 14 ]. Given the complexity of physiologic effects that occur in tumors in response to HT, this challenge requires rigorous and critical thought. This question will be addressed in the following discussion of clinical results. 5.3. Human Studies of Reoxygenation Post HT Brizel et al. [ 103 ] reported that reoxygenation occurs at 24 h post heating in a portion of 38 patients with soft tissue sarcomas treated with pre-operative thermoradiotherapy (50 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, 5 fractions per week and 1–2 fractions of HT per week, given 1–2 h post radiotherapy). Oxygenation (Eppendorf pO2 histography) did not change after the first week of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. However, median pO2 24–48 h after the first HT (given during second week of radiotherapy) increased from 6.2 mmHg to 12.4 mmHg, which was statistically significant. There was a significant correlation between reoxygenation and percent necrosis in the resected tumors. The median T 90 in these tumors was 39.9 °C in tumors that had <90% necrosis, vs. 40.0 °C for tumors that achieved >90% necrosis [pathologic complete response; pCR—this small difference was not significant]. T 90 values were lower than temperatures required for direct cell killing by HT [ 96 ]. This argues against the idea that pCR was a result of direct cell killing by HT, as hypothesized by others [ 14 ]. Although the results are provocative, a rigorous examination between thermal dose achieved and extent of reoxygenation and treatment outcome was not undertaken in this series. Vujaskovic reported on a series of women with locally advanced breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of liposomal doxorubicin [Myocet TM and paclitaxel] combined with HT [ 104 ]. The rationale for this treatment was to take advantage of effects of HT on vascular permeability and liposomal extravasation [ 105 , 106 ]. pO2 measurements were made, using Eppendorf pO2 histography, prior to and 24 h after the second HT, which coincided with the second chemotherapy treatment course. Eleven of eighteen tumors were hypoxic (median pO2 < 10 mmHg). In the hypoxic tumors, eight out of eleven exhibited reoxygenation [median pO2 = 19.2 mmHg]. The response rate for hypoxic tumors that reoxygenated was higher than a sub-group that did not reoxygenate. There was no correlation between extent of reoxygenation and thermal dose in this group of patients, but there was a trend indicating that chances of reoxygenation were greater if median T 50 remained between 39.5 and 41 °C [ 104 ]. This trend, showing a better chance for response with relatively low T 50 values, was consistent with a separate group of patients with locally advanced breast cancer who were treated with pre-operative HT, radiotherapy and taxol [ 107 ]. Tumors that achieved either a partial or complete response were well oxygenated at baseline or reoxygenated by a median of 18 mmHg. Those tumors that had no response to treatment showed a reduction of pO2, by a median of 9 mmHg. In this clinical series, temperatures were not high enough to cause appreciable direct cell killing by HT. 5.4. Canine Studies of Reoxygenation Post HT Vujaskovic also reported on changes in tumor oxygenation in a series of 13 dogs with soft tissue sarcomas treated with thermoradiotherapy [ 62 ]. Oxygen measurements were made prior to and 24 h after the first HT. The Oxford Optronix™ fluorescence lifetime probe was used to measure pO2 in multiple locations by placing the probe deep in the tumor and then recording pO2 during using a pull-back. Reduction in hypoxic fraction (HF) was observed for T 50 values ranging from 39.5 to 44 °C. HF increased when T 50 values were >44 °C. Consistent with the human studies, mild temperature HT improved tumor oxygenation, whereas higher temperatures contributed to apparent vascular damage, with an increase in tumor hypoxia. In this study, correlations between the oxygenation measurements with treatment outcome were not made. Thrall et al. [ 108 ] conducted a randomized thermal dose escalation clinical trial that compared long term local tumor control in 122 dogs with soft tissue sarcomas that were randomized into two different thermal dose groups in combination with fractionated radiotherapy (2.25 Gy/fx, 25Fx). There was a 17-fold higher CEM43T 90 in the high vs. the low HT dose group ( Figure 2 A). The difference in thermal dose was achieved by generating higher temperatures and longer heating times in the high thermal dose group ( Figure 2 B,C). Duration of local tumor control was significantly longer in the high thermal dose group, with a hazard ratio of 2.3 in multivariate analysis. Hypoxia was measured in subgroups of animals in this trial. These results have not been published previously. The Oxford Optronix™ fluorescence lifetime probe was used prior to and 24 h after the first HT to determine change in median pO2 and HF in 11 subjects (% measurements < 10 mmHg). There were significant correlations (Pearson correlation) between increased median pO2 ( p = 0.0230) or reduced HF ( p = 0.007) and duration of local control ( Table 1 ). This observation was corroborated in another subgroup of 16 animals that were given pimonidazole prior to and 24 h after the first HT. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the hypoxic fraction, as described by Cline et al. [ 110 , 111 ]. Reduction in the % pimonidazole positive area was inversely associated with increased time to local failure. Caution has to be used, given the small number of patients in these analyses. However, the similarity between the oxygen probe results and the pimonidazole data suggest that reoxygenation after the first HT is likely predictive of time to local failure. Additional studies would be required for validation. Thrall et al. reported on another trial of 37 dogs with soft tissue sarcomas that were treated with two different HT dose fractionation schedules (5Fx ( n = 21) vs. 20Fx ( n = 16)), in conjunction with fractionated radiotherapy (2.25 Gy/Fx, 25Fx) [ 63 ]. The goal of this thermal dose fractionation trial was to achieve equivalent CEM43T 90 for both fractionation schedules. The working hypothesis was that the 20Fx group would achieve better anti-tumor effect compared with the 5Fx group. In the final analysis, CEM43T 90 was slightly and significantly higher in the 5Fx HT arm (29.9 vs. 24.9 CEM43T 90 for the 5 vs. 20 HT fractions, respectively). To accomplish near equivalence in total CEM43T 90 between the treatment groups, the duration of heating for the 5Fx HT group was six-fold longer per treatment. Although T 50 and T 10 values were higher for the 5Fx HT group than the 20Fx HT group, the total CEM 43 T 10 and T 50 values were higher in the 20Fx HT group. This was a product of the larger number of HT fractions in this group ( Tables S1 and S2 ). Multiple physiologic endpoints were measured in these subjects, pre and 24 h after the first HT: pO2, contrast enhanced perfusion with MRI, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) with MRI, and genomic analysis [ 112 ]. Contrary to the hypothesis, the 5Fx HT group showed greater volume reduction than the 20Fx HT group ( p = 0.0022). The physiologic endpoints associated with treatment group were change in ADC after the treatment course and change in perfusion at 24 h after the first HT. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between HF change 24 h after the first HT and tumor volume change at the end of therapy; as hypoxic fraction was reduced, tumor volume was reduced. The 5Fx HT group showed a trend toward a reduction in ADC. In contrast, the 20Fx HT group showed increased ADC values ( Figure S1 ). Increases in ADC values at the end of therapy were associated with changes in gene expression at 24 h post first HT, consistent with induction of inflammation [ 112 ]. Thus, the increase in ADC with the 20Fx HT group may be associated with increased edema as a result of inflammation. There was also a significant difference in perfusion response after the first HT between the two arms. The 5Fx HT arm exhibited increases in perfusion, whereas the 20Fx HT arm exhibited decreases in perfusion. Further analyses of data from this trial, which have not been published previously, suggest that the reoxygenation observed in these tumors is linked to the distribution of thermal dose. The results of this analysis are shown in Table 2 and Table 3 .

Higher CEM43T 10 was associated with an improvement in average pO2 ( p = 0.0214) and reduction in HF (% points < 10 mmHg; p = 0.0451), 24 h after the first HT. There was a significant positive correlation between CEM43T 90 and perfusion at 24 h post first hyperthermia fraction. Increases in average pO2 and perfusion at 24 h after the first HT were correlated with tumor volume reduction at the end of treatment. Higher Total CEM43T 10 and Total CEM43T 50 were associated with change in ADC at the end of treatment ( p = 0.007 and p = 0.0007, respectively), but the trends were different for the 5Fx HT vs. 20Fx HT groups. Reduction in ADC is associated with lower diffusion coefficient of water, which can be interpreted as a relative decrease in water mobility. It has been reported that early onset of apoptosis or apoptosis mixed with necrosis is associated with increased ADC [ 113 , 114 ]. However, in situations where there is necrosis in the absence of apoptosis, chronic necrosis or fibrosis, ADC tends to decrease [ 115 , 116 ]. The increase in ADC associated with relatively high CEM43T 10 and -T 50 in the 20Fx HT group is consistent with the notion that higher cumulative thermal doses cause cell killing and increased edema. Extensive cell death could reduce oxygen consumption rate across a tumor, thereby contributing to improved oxygenation. Higher CEM43T 10 and -T 50 were significantly negatively correlated with greater tumor volume reduction at the end of therapy. These results provide a direct link between characteristics of the temperature distribution, potential mechanisms of reoxygenation and treatment response. We hypothesize that the reduction in hypoxia is associated with a reduction in oxygen consumption rate associated with the higher end of the thermal dose distribution (CEM43T 10 , -T 50 ), combined with an increase in perfusion associated with the lower end of the temperature distribution (CEM43T 90 ) ( Figure 3 ). There are some conundrums in the results, however. Contrary to the correlation between T 10 and ADC change at the end of treatment, there was no correlation between T 10 and ADC change at 24 h post treatment [ 117 ]. These results could be interpreted as indicating that cell killing does not contribute to reoxygenation 24 h after the first HT. It is possible that this lack of correlation of T 10 with ADC change at 24 h post HT has to do with the relatively small volume of tumor represented by the T 10 (90% of measurements would be <T 10 ). If there was direct cytotoxicity after the first HT in the volume represented by the T 10 , it may not have impacted the overall median ADC. Another option to consider is that temperatures >T 50 interfered with respiration, thereby reducing oxygen consumption rate. As discussed earlier in this review, respiration is relatively thermosensitive and is reduced in the temperature range of T 10 and T 50 (see Figure 2 ). A reduction in oxygen consumption rate, even in a small sub-volume of the tumor, would be sufficient to impact oxygen transport and reduce hypoxic fraction. Additional evidence for a reduction in oxygen consumption rate as a contributor to reoxygenation comes from observations that HIF-1 regulated genes and proteins were upregulated after HT [ 63 , 112 ] in these subjects. Increases in HIF-1 would cause a switch to anerobic metabolism [ 57 , 118 ]. Finally, it was not possible to follow these individuals to ascertain long term local tumor control or progression free survival. Clearly, further research is required. Figure 3 Potential mechanisms for reoxygenation following HT. The boxes in this figure contain putative mechanisms for reoxygenation, along with supportive data acquired from canine soft tissue sarcomas and/or human patients with soft tissue sarcomas or locally advanced breast cancer. The terms highlighted in red font are observations that support the proposed mechanisms. The box highlighted in green lists treatment responses that are linked back to the physiologic response observations. The superscripted letters next to the individual measurements refer back to the papers in which the observations were reported. a—[ 63 ]; b—[ 62 , 63 ]; c—[ 87 ]; d—[ 62 , 63 , 104 , 107 , 119 ]. The temperatures listed are linked to typical heating times of 60 min per HT fraction. Viglianti et al. [ 120 ] examined tumor perfusion using DCE/MRI [dynamic contrast enhanced MRI] prior to and 24 h post first HT in the canine soft tissue sarcomas treated with thermoradiotherapy. Perfusion was measured prior to and 24 h after the first HT, [ 120 ]. Although perfusion increased in some subjects after HT, there was no association with local tumor control. Vaupel suggested that integrated temperature–time combination could be associated with biphasic vascular effects of HT [ 51 ]. Further work would be needed to verify that physiologic effects are associated with this measure of thermal dose. The integrated time–temperature approach has been reported to be associated with treatment outcome to thermoradiotherapy, however [ 121 , 122 ]. Recently, Thomsen et al. [ 123 ] reported on changes in oxygenation of the chest wall skin of normal subjects and patients with chest-wall recurrences of breast cancer. Water-filtered infrared-A-irradiation was used to heat this superficial tumor site. Hyperspectral imaging was used to ascertain hemoglobin saturation. Implanted fiber optic oxygen sensors (Oxford Optronix™, fluorescence life time probe) were used to measure pO2 directly. In normal volunteers, tissue oxygenation increased during HT to reach an elevated plateau and slowly declined after power was turned off. Measurements of Hb sat followed a similar pattern, with elevations persisting up to 15 min post heating [ 123 ]. Preliminary patient data were also provided, suggesting a similar time course for change in oxygenation. These data are provocative. We await follow up reports as to whether improvements in oxygenation in these tumor bearing subjects are associated with treatment outcome. Waterman et al. [ 124 ] measured perfusion in superficial human tumors during HT using a thermal diffusion method based on monitoring the rate of decline in temperature during brief periods of turning off microwave applicator power. He also observed increases in perfusion during heating [ 124 ]. These patients were treated with thermoradiotherapy, but the authors did not report whether the changes in perfusion were associated with tumor response. Thrall et al. [ 119 ] reported on changes in tumor hypoxia in a series of seven dogs over a five-week course of thermoradiotherapy. Hypoxia was measured using the Oxford Optronix™ fluorescence lifetime probe 3–4× per week. In four out of five tumors that were hypoxic at baseline, reduction in hypoxia observed after the first HT continued to be observed throughout the treatment course. This included measurements that were made during several day intervals when HT was not administered. In a fifth marginally hypoxic tumor at baseline, pO2 values dropped to near zero at 24 h post first HT and remained that way for the duration of the treatment course. The remaining three tumors were not hypoxic to start with and the treatment course did not cause hypoxia. In this series of tumors, T 90 values were far below those that would cause appreciable direct cell killing by HT. 6. A Look Backward and Future Directions As indicated in the beginning of this review, there were concerns raised as to whether reoxygenation occurs in 1–2 days after HT and, if so, whether it has any influence on radiobiologically significant hypoxia [ 14 ]. We can say without reservation that reoxygenation can occur up to 24 h and perhaps even longer after HT. We showed this was the case in: (1) human soft tissue sarcomas [ 103 ], (2) four separate series involving canine soft tissue sarcomas [ 62 , 63 , 109 , 119 ] and (3) in two clinical trials of women with locally advanced breast cancer [ 104 , 107 ]. Concerns were raised as to whether clinical responses, such as pathologic CR rate, were simply caused by HT induced necrosis as opposed to reoxygenation having an effect on radiosensitivity [ 14 ]. Although we show clear evidence that CEM43T 10 and CEM43T 50 are associated with necrosis induction, temperatures at the lower end of the distribution are too low to cause direct cell killing by HT ( Figure 2 and Table S1 ). Similar results were reported previously in human sarcomas [ 73 ]. Thus, it seems implausible to explain complete pathologic response or early tumor response by simple necrotic cell killing, as has been suggested by others [ 14 ]. We have speculated that reoxygenation occurs as a result of direct HT cytotoxicity of aerobic cells, which in turn reduces overall oxygen consumption rate across the tumor. One cannot rule out that the main effect is simply the result of preferential HT killing of hypoxic tumor cells and that oxygen consumption rate is not important here. However, we argue that oxygen consumption does occur in relatively hypoxic tumor subregions. Hypoxic regions are not totally hypoxic. They are composed of many microscopic foci of hypoxia that also contain well-oxygenated cells near blood vessels [ 125 ]. Less hypoxic subregions contain less of these hypoxic foci. Such patterns are readily discernable by looking at the distribution of hypoxia marker drug retention in tumor sections stained immunohistochemically for hypoxia marker drug–protein adducts [ 126 , 127 ]. Killing of aerobic cells lying within relatively hypoxic subregions would contribute to reduced oxygen consumption across a whole tumor. Killing of cells could be by direct coagulative necrosis in regions near the T 10 values, which are at or above 45 °C. On the other hand, moderate temperature thermal killing (T 50 values of 42–43 °C) could reduce oxidative phosphorylation [ 87 , 109 ] and/or induce apoptosis in aerobic tumor cells, thereby contributing to reduced oxygen consumption as well as reducing tissue pressure to enhance perfusion [ 128 ]. However, we acknowledge that further work would be needed to resolve whether direct hypoxic tumor cell killing alone or in combination with reduced oxygen consumption rate contributes to reoxygenation. One method that could be used to resolve this question is 15 O PET [ 129 ]. Importantly, reoxygenation does not occur in all subjects. In fact, hypoxia is exacerbated 24 h post HT in some subjects [ 104 , 107 , 119 ]. Mechanisms for this heterogeneous response are not currently delineated. It is possible that the microvasculature in some subjects is less mature and more thermally sensitive. Immature microvasculature is devoid of pericyte coverage and lacks strong endothelial cell junction connections. Such microvessels are sensitive to VEGF withdrawal [ 130 ] and are more thermally sensitive [ 131 , 132 , 133 ]. Selective destruction of such vessels by HT would lead to necrosis and hypoxia. Alternatively, induction of hypoxia could occur as a result of vascular steal. Vascular steal has been described as being responsible for reduced perfusion and increased tumor hypoxia in response to some vasoactive drugs, for example. Upon drug treatment, vasodilation of surrounding normal vasculature occurs [ 134 , 135 ]. Tumor vessels, on the other hand, are often devoid of smooth muscle and cannot vasodilate. Vascular steal occurs because of the shift in flow resistance between normal and tumor tissue, which thereby shunts perfusion to the surrounding normal tissue [ 135 ]. Arterioles and venules in normal tissue are more thermally resistant than tumor arterioles [ 53 ]. This relative difference in thermal resistance to permanent stasis could increase flow in normal tissue at temperatures that cause vascular stasis in tumors. Further work is needed to more fully explain why reoxygenation occurs in some subjects, while in others, hypoxia is exacerbated. In any case, the heterogeneous response of tumors to HT in different subjects points to the need to measure extent of hypoxia before and during HT treatment regimens in order to differentiate those subjects who benefit from HT-induced reoxygenation vs. for which HT is contraindicated. As described earlier, high rates of heating could also contribute to vascular damage and persistent hypoxia [ 53 , 54 ]. It is likely that the characteristics of the temperature distribution and/or tumor location have an important role in the physiologic response to HT in human subjects. Perfusion was measured prior to and immediately after HT in a subject with cervix and rectal cancer, using H 2 15 O-PET [ 136 ]. Increases in perfusion were not observed. There was an increase in water partition coefficient, which the authors speculated could influence oxygen transport. The temperatures achieved were lower than those seen in sarcomas, averaging 40.7 ± 0.6 °C vs. median temperatures of 41–42 °C in sarcomas [ 121 ]. It is also important to consider whether HT induced reoxygenation plays a role in immune surveillance. Both HT and radiotherapy are known to enhance immune surveillance by a range of mechanisms [ 20 , 137 ]. However, both hypoxia and lactic acidosis exert a negative influence on the innate and adaptive immune systems [ 20 , 28 ]. Reoxygenation induced by HT, therefore, could be playing an important role in the enhanced anti-tumor effect of thermoradiotherapy. An increase in perfusion along with killing of hypoxic tumor cells could reduce lactate levels (and increase pHe) as well, thereby contributing to enhanced immunity. We have previously shown a direct positive correlation between HT induced increases in perfusion at 24 h post HT and increases in pHe [ 120 ]. We did not find a correlation of these changes with local tumor control after thermoradiotherapy to soft tissue sarcomas in dogs, but increases in pHe 24 h post HT were associated with prolonged metastasis free survival. Low baseline pHe was associated with shorter time to metastasis, as well [ 109 ]. Perhaps these differences in tumor acidity at baseline or after HT were associated with tumor immunity. Further work needs to be conducted to define underlying mechanisms. Although the results shown here support underlying mechanisms for reoxygenation following HT, they are limited by lack of spatially registered data. Functional imaging holds potential to uncover how spatially varying thermal doses affect tumor physiologic response. Using MRI, it is possible to acquire temperature distributions, serial measurements of perfusion distribution and ADC distribution in the same tumor. Oxygen sensitive MR imaging methods and/or 18 F-misonidazole PET imaging [ 138 ] could reveal information about the spatial distribution of hypoxia. Using such data, it would then be possible to estimate the efficiency of cell killing across a tumor. A preliminary effort was conducted to ascertain the efficiency of cytotoxicity following a thermoradiotherapy treatment in a human soft tissue sarcoma, where non-invasive thermometry was used to ascertain the temperature distribution, and radiation treatment planning revealed the spatial distribution of RT dose within the same tumor. Effects of the varied temperature distribution on cell survival were estimated using extensive cytotoxicity data of CHO cells by Loshek, who measured the time dependence of cell killing for 42 °C HT alone, RT alone and the combination [ 139 ]. All of the temperature data within the heated volume of the example case were converted to equivalent minutes at 42 °C, using the Sapareto and Dewey CEM formalism [ 61 ]. For further details about the methods for determining cell survival, please see Text S1 for further information. The soft tissue sarcoma in the calf of a human patient is depicted in Figure 4 . Figure 4 A shows the location of the tumor, as imaged by ADC. Figure 4 B shows the temperature distribution, measured by proton resonance frequency shift MRI [ 81 ]. Figure 4 C depicts the radiation dose distribution from treatment planning. The predicted cell kill within each image pixel from a single dose of radiation is in the range of 50% and is uniform within the irradiated volume because the spatial distribution of radiation was set to be uniform by treatment planning ( Figure 4 E). The impact of the varied temperature distribution on cell killing (as depicted by −log10 (survival)) shows highly efficient killing in the hottest tumor regions, along with virtually no killing in the cooler regions of the tumor ( Figure 4 D). The influence of thermoradiosensitization on cell killing is seen in Figure 4 F. Careful examination shows enhanced killing efficiency around areas of cell killing by HT alone ( Figure 4 D). These data reveal interesting insights into the influence of temperature variation on the distribution of cell killing. First, the extent of cell killing is much greater for HT than for a 2 Gy dose of RT alone within the hotter tumor regions. The greatest cell killing, on the order of 5 logs/pixel, occurs in 10–15% of the tumor region. Killing in these hotter regions would be expected to reduce oxygen consumption rate, thereby contributing to reoxygenation in the rest of the tumor hours to days after HT. Second, although thermoradiosensitization is evident, it is not as extensive as one might project, particularly in the cooler regions of the tumor. Even this one example case suggests that more simulations of this type should be considered, especially if information about hypoxia is added. We have also conducted a series of simulations of tumor control probability [TCP] based on the Loshek data referred to above [ 139 ]. We considered the impact of once weekly HT induced radiosensitization ( Text S2 and Figures S2 and S3 ) on cell survival and TCP over a six- or seven-week course of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. Secondly, we considered the impact of a portion of hypoxic tumor cells moving to the aerobic compartment 24 h post HT ( Text S2 and Figure 5 ). These simulations are based on observations that we made in canine sarcomas [ 119 ]. Even a 30% shift after each weekly HT leads to a TCP nearing 100%. On the other hand, TCP drops quite significantly if a tumor becomes more hypoxic after HT, as we have observed in some subjects. Lack of reoxygenation is predicted to render the tumor described as incurable with the radiotherapy doses described. Despite clear evidence that reoxygenation can occur up to 24–48 h after HT in some canine and human tumors, it is not definitively known whether reoxygenation occurring in an individual’s tumor is associated with long-term treatment outcome. We report on two small subset analyses in canine soft tissue sarcomas suggesting that reoxygenation after the first HT can influence duration of local tumor control after thermoradiotherapy. However, validation is required in larger patient series. Future studies should be directed toward answering whether changes in oxygenation after HT correlate with local tumor control and progression free and overall survival. We also caution that the human sarcoma and locally advanced breast cancer and canine sarcoma data reported in the review are based on several small studies. Further clinical trials, with greater numbers of subjects, would be needed for validation of the observation that reoxygenation after HT results in better anti-tumor effect. It is also important to note that many other factors, independent of reoxygenation or thermal dose, per se, may influence treatment response to thermoradiotherapy. Examples include: (1) technical variations in application of HT [ 19 , 78 ], (2) variations in sequence and/or time interval between HT and radiotherapy [ 19 ], (3) rate of heating [ 54 ]; other physiologic factors such as pH, perfusion and/or metabolism and patient specific factors such as age [ 140 , 141 ], smoking history [ 142 , 143 ] and genomic variation [ 112 , 144 ]. Thus, as we have attempted to tease out how hypoxia and reoxygenation influence treatment outcome, it is important to keep in mind that many factors can play into the ultimate outcome for a specific patient. Trials conducted in the future could benefit from data acquisition of as many potential mitigators as possible. 7. Returning Back to Differences in Temperature Distributions between Rodent and Human Tumors Finally, we need to come back to our original premise that differences in temperature distribution between rodent tumors vs. human and canine tumors are physiologically important. We show that thermal doses at the higher end of the distribution in human and canine sarcomas create ADC changes that are consistent with induction of necrosis and, ironically, reoxygenation. In contrast, temperatures in the lower end of the distribution are associated with increased perfusion. These physiologic changes are associated with treatment response. Such heterogeneity in physiologic response within human and canine tumors would not have been seen in rodent tumors, where water bath heating yields a fairly uniform temperature distribution. This raises the question, then, of why reoxygenation has been observed in some rodent tumors and not in others after uniform mild temperature water bath heating? There are two potential explanations for this: (1) It has been shown that mild temperature HT increases HIF-1α expression in some tumors [ 57 ]. HIF-1, in turn, upregulates PDK-1, which controls the switch from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism. This switch would reduce oxygen consumption rate, thereby contributing to reoxygenation. (2) Mild temperature heating has been reported to induce apoptosis and/or senescence in some tumor cell types in vitro and in vivo [ 145 , 146 ]. The induction of apoptosis and senescence would reduce oxygen consumption rate. Apoptosis could also contribute to improved perfusion as a result of reduced tissue pressure [ 128 ]. The preponderance of apoptosis appears to be temperature dependent, with increases occurring with temperature up to 43 °C for 30–40 min [ 147 ]; above this, necrosis becomes the primary cell death mechanism [ 147 ]. It is likely that the aforementioned putative mechanisms of reoxygenation occur in some tumor lines, but not all. Uncovering mechanisms for variation creates a clear framework for future pre-clinical research, as mechanisms may very well be associated with treatment responses in human tumors as well. It is also important to consider potential reasons for variation in treatment response, within specific tumor lines. Examination of individual variability in tumor response has rarely been examined in pre-clinical models. One example is provided that involved HT. Palmer et al. examined individual responses of the ovarian tumor model, SKOV-3, to a thermosensitive liposome containing doxorubicin [ 148 ]. The tumors were heated to 42 °C for 60 min by water bath. Using optical spectroscopy, they measured hemoglobin saturation [Hb sat ], total hemoglobin and drug concentration in heated tumors. The primary outcome variable was growth time [time to reach 3 times treatment volume]. Hb sat and drug concentration were significantly related to growth time. Further, cluster analysis revealed that tumors with both low Hb sat and low total Hb had relatively short growth times. Total Hb is related to blood volume and perfusion rate. Although optical spectroscopy is not widely available, there are many other ways to non-invasively measure parameters related to tumor hypoxia, perfusion and ADC in mice, using MRI or PET [ 24 , 149 ]. It is recommended that pre-clinical study designs involving monitoring of individual treatment responses be considered for future research. Additionally, it is advised to use heating methods that yield peaked temperature distributions that mirror what is seen clinically. For example, Kelleher used a near infrared method that achieved a peaked temperature distribution in a rat tumor line [ 84 ]. Such studies could prove invaluable in setting the stage for future human clinical trial designs. 8. Conclusions In this review, we provide convincing evidence that HT causes prolonged reoxygenation lasting at least 24–48 h in both human and canine cancers. Further, we show that reoxygenation is likely caused by increased perfusion as well as a putative reduction in oxygen consumption rate. Importantly, these effects are linked to characteristics of the peaked temperature distribution that usually accompany HT treatment of solid cancers in the clinic. The higher end of the temperature distribution is associated with evidence of cell killing and/or reduced oxygen consumption rate, whereas temperatures at the lower end of the distribution are associated with increases in perfusion. These effects appear to be occurring simultaneously in tumors after HT. We hypothesize that the relative lack of validation of such results in pre-clinical models is due to the fact that rodent tumor heating is usually performed in water baths that do not yield peaked temperature distributions seen in the clinic. Finally, we end with a suggestion for future clinical studies that carefully examine the impact of HT on cell killing and physiology by combining functional imaging with estimates of cell survival based on in vitro cell survival curve data. Such studies are likely to provide important insights into which features of HT+RT (direct cell killing by HT, direct cell killing by RT, reoxygenation influence on RT cell killing and heat radiosensitization) will have the greatest influence on local tumor control. Acknowledgments The authors recognize the invaluable contributions made by members of the Duke Hyperthermia program that generated the data shown in this paper. Special thanks go to Thaddeus Samulski, Paul Stauffer, Oana Craciunescu, Zeljko Vujaskovic, Leonard Prosnitz, Ellen Jones, David Brizel, Donald Thrall, Susan LaRue, Edward Gillette, Greg Palmer, and Gary Rosner. In addition, thanks to Greg Palmer for graphical and editorial assistance in the preparation of this paper. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Supplementary Materials The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/cancers14071701/s1 , Table S1: Temperatures obtained during 1st HT: Thermal dose fractionation trial^, Table S2: Key Thermal Characteristics: Thermal dose fractionation trial^, Figure S1: Total CEM43T 10 vs. Relative Change in ADC Mean Post/Pre; Text S1: Supplemental Methods pertaining to Figure 4 , Text S2: Supplemental Materials related to Figure 5 ; Figure S2: Predicted clonogenic survival vs. day of treament, taking into account heat radiosensitization; Figure S3: Predicted tumor control probability vs. Day of Treatment. This figure depicts the theoretical tumor control probability vs. day of treatment for the two scenarios shown in Figure S2. Click here for additional data file. Author Contributions Conceptualization, M.W.D.; formal analysis, J.K. and T.W.S.; investigation, M.W.D.; data curation, M.W.D.; writing—original draft preparation, M.W.D.; writing—review and editing, J.R.O.; visualization, M.W.D., funding acquisition, M.W.D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding The previously unpublished data in this paper were generated during canine clinical trials supported by a grant from NIH/NCI P01CA42745. Data Availability Statement Previously unpublished data presented in this paper can be provided upon request. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. References 1.

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中文

# 准确的三维热剂量测定和生理反应评估对于优化热放疗至关重要

**摘要** 大量随机试验表明,热疗(HT)联合放疗或化疗相较于单独放疗或化疗,可改善局部肿瘤控制、无进展生存期和总生存期。尽管取得了这些成功,但部分患者未能从联合治疗中获益,并非每位患者都能从热疗中获得最大益处。治疗失败的原因有很多。在本文中,我们重点关注热疗对肿瘤缺氧的影响,因为缺氧对放疗和化疗反应以及免疫监视均有负面影响。在临床前研究中,肿瘤在热疗后的再氧合作用与暴露时间和温度密切相关。在大多数临床前研究中,再氧合作用仅在热疗过程中或热疗结束后短期内发生。如果临床上也是如此,那么利用热疗诱导的再氧合作用将面临巨大挑战。因此,一个重要的问题是,临床上热疗诱导的再氧合作用是否具有放射生物学意义。在本综述中,我们将讨论热放疗治疗的人类和犬类癌症中热暴露历史对再氧合作用的影响。多项临床系列研究的结果显示,再氧合作用可被观察到,并在热疗后持续24至48小时。此外,再氧合作用与热放疗试验中的治疗结果相关,具体表现为:(1)人体软组织肉瘤的病理完全缓解率(pCR)翻倍;(2)获得临床反应的局部晚期乳腺癌的pO2平均增加14 mmHg,而未反应的局部晚期乳腺癌的pO2则下降9 mmHg;(3)犬软组织肉瘤中再氧合作用的程度(通过pO2探针和缺氧标志物药物免疫组化评估)与局部肿瘤控制持续时间之间存在显著相关性。再氧合作用持续至热疗后24至48小时的这一现象,与大多数已报道的啮齿类动物研究明显不同。在这些临床系列研究中,将热数据与生理反应进行比较发现,在同一肿瘤内,温度分布中较高端的温度可能导致细胞死亡,从而降低氧消耗速率,而同一肿瘤内较低端的温度则改善灌注。然而,并非所有受试者都出现再氧合作用,导致热-生理关系存在显著不确定性。这种不确定性的根源在于对温度和生理反应的时空特征了解有限。最后,我们提出了未来研究的重点建议,强调在热疗前后获取配准的热数据和生理数据,以开始揭示热放疗中似乎存在的复杂热生理相互作用。

**关键词** 热剂量测定;缺氧;热疗;放射治疗;再氧合;灌注;氧消耗速率;局部肿瘤控制;生物标志物

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## 1. 引言

已发表的关键荟萃分析涉及局部晚期宫颈癌、头颈部癌症和乳腺癌胸壁复发,结果显示局部区域热疗联合放疗在局部肿瘤控制、无进展生存期和/或总生存期方面具有治疗获益。一项重要的随机试验比较了多药化疗联合或不联合热疗的效果,结果显示接受热疗的局部晚期高风险软组织肉瘤患者的无进展生存期和总生存期有所改善。尽管许多试验总体取得了成功,但并非所有患者都获得了治疗获益,部分随机试验未显示热疗具有统计学显著性的治疗获益。即使在有一定获益的患者中,也可能未实现最大程度的优化。证明热疗可增强抗肿瘤效果,将有助于其作为一种可行的辅助疗法获得更广泛的认可。因此,研究可能影响治疗结局的缓解因素具有重要的理论依据。

热疗对肿瘤诱导了多种生物学和生理效应。热疗抑制多种DNA损伤修复机制,这在热增敏放射治疗中发挥重要作用。DNA修复的抑制为将热疗与HSP90(热休克蛋白-90)和/或PARP(聚ADP-核糖聚合酶)抑制剂联合使用提供了理论依据。热休克蛋白HSP70和HSP27与酶结合以促进碱基切除修复。这种热休克蛋白的关联可能增强热疗后的DNA损伤修复。支持这一假说的证据是,热诱导的双链断裂修复的增强与耐热细胞中HSP70和HSP27与热不稳定DNA聚合酶β的关联有关。耐热诱导的DNA损伤修复增强可能降低在细胞处于耐热状态时进行放疗的疗效。如果是这样,这种效应可能会降低热疗后24至48小时观察到的再氧合作用的影响,而再氧合作用是本综述的主要主题。目前尚不清楚这种耐热诱导的放射抗性机制是否具有临床相关性。需要进一步研究来回答这个问题。

在临床前和理论模型中,当两种模式同时给予或两者之间的时间间隔很短时,热疗对放疗的最大热增敏效应出现。时间间隔对放射增敏的影响是热疗对DNA损伤修复影响的结果。关于热疗与放疗之间时间间隔影响的回顾性分析在宫颈癌方面存在争议。最近已发表了一项关于方法和结果报告标准化的呼吁。报告的标准化将极大地有助于从实施方法和结果记录的角度理解如何优化热放疗。

热疗还在先天性和适应性免疫系统中诱导了多种免疫刺激效应,这可能对热疗联合放疗时的生物学效应具有重要意义。热疗本身具有细胞毒性,细胞毒性的程度取决于加热的时间和温度。此外,热疗的细胞毒性不依赖于氧的可利用性,因此在这方面与放疗具有互补性,因为缺氧会导致放疗的细胞毒性显著降低。在本综述中,我们将重点关注以下临床观察结果:热疗可在热疗后至少1至2天内减少缺氧。此外,再氧合作用与局部晚期乳腺癌患者、人体软组织肉瘤以及伴侣犬软组织肉瘤患者的治疗结果相关。这些观察结果表明,热疗与放疗之间的正向相互作用可能出现在临床前研究建议的最大相互作用短时间窗口之外。

肿瘤缺氧已被明确认为是导致放射抗性和治疗失败的原因。已知缺氧还对化疗和免疫治疗的治疗反应产生负面影响,并促进肿瘤侵袭性。《Cancers》杂志最近的一期特刊收录了多篇关于肿瘤缺氧主题的原创报告和当代综述论文。在本综述中,我们将探讨热剂量如何影响肿瘤缺氧,以及反过来,热放疗后缺氧的变化是否会影响治疗结局。

已在荷瘤啮齿动物中进行了广泛的临床前研究,这些研究揭示了热暴露条件与灌注和缺氧变化之间关系的重要趋势。研究表明,1°C/min范围内的加热速率:(1)在体外具有更强的细胞毒性;(2)比慢速加热对肿瘤微血管的损伤更大。此外,单独热疗后灌注减少和抗肿瘤效果增强与更快的加热速率有关。目前尚不清楚更快的加热速率是否会影响临床前模型或临床上热疗后24至48小时的再氧合作用。加热速率的影响尚未与放疗联合进行研究。如果更快的加热速率导致血管损伤和缺氧,则可能导致放射抗性。

大多数临床前研究并未设计为检验个体受试者中灌注和缺氧的变化是否与个体治疗结局相关。此类信息是灌注或缺氧测量能够临床转化的必要条件。因此,我们将在主要在人类和患有癌症的伴侣犬中进行的研究中进行综述,这些研究中对每个个体均获取了详细的热测量和生理数据。在大多数情况下,治疗结局也有记录。

就本综述而言,我们将30至60分钟的"温和加热"定义为40至42°C的温度范围,因为在此范围内几乎不发生直接的细胞杀伤。然而,在此温度范围内会发生多种其他效应,包括灌注增加和血管通透性改变、细胞信号转导改变、DNA损伤修复抑制、HPV病毒癌蛋白E6的抑制以及免疫学效应。"中等加热"定义为温度大于42°C且小于44°C。在此中等温度范围内,除了上述温和加热范围内的多种效应外,还会发生直接的热细胞毒性。"高温加热"发生在温度大于44°C且小于50°C的范围内。我们将高温加热的上限设为50°C,以区别于热消融,后者发生在高于60°C的温度下。我们采用这种分类是因为大于44°C的温度可能增加犬软组织肉瘤的肿瘤缺氧,而在此阈值以下,缺氧不受影响或减少。其他研究者使用了温和(40-42°C)、中等(42-45°C)和T>45°C(导致不可逆损伤)等描述性术语。这种分类与我们描述的类似。我们选择30至60分钟的加热时间,因为这是临床上最常实施热疗的时间范围。

## 2. 缺氧由氧输送与氧消耗速率之间的不平衡引起

组织内任何位置的pO2由氧输送与氧消耗之间的平衡决定。氧输送受微血管流速、氧含量、血管密度和该位置周围血管方向的影响。一个需要提出的重要问题是,这些因素中哪一个对缺氧发展的影响最大。

计算机生成的敏感性研究被用于探讨增加氧输送或降低氧消耗速率哪种方式更有效减少肿瘤缺氧。这些模拟基于上述参数的体内测量结果。与增加血流速率或血液氧含量相比,降低氧消耗速率的效率分别高10至30倍。

已有体外研究表明,葡萄糖浓度的升高通过使细胞转向无氧代谢来降低氧消耗速率。计算机模拟和体内实验均表明,通过吸入高氧气体诱导高血糖在减少肿瘤缺氧方面具有协同作用。同样,热疗联合碳氧气体呼吸被证明可显著增加肿瘤pO2并增强放疗反应。热疗也会影响氧消耗速率,因此在评估热疗如何影响肿瘤缺氧时,考虑这些效应非常重要。

在本综述中,我们探讨热疗对以下方面的影响:缺氧、灌注、代谢和氧消耗速率以及坏死。将介绍一些临床前数据作为背景。然而,主要关注点将是热疗影响肿瘤缺氧相关因素的临床证据,以及这些变化是否影响热放疗的治疗结局。

## 3. 将热疗期间达到的温度与生理反应相关联的挑战

### 3.1 啮齿动物与人类肿瘤之间温度分布的差异

在啮齿动物肿瘤中,水浴加热使肿瘤周围的皮肤和正常组织暴露于最高温度,因为它们紧邻浴池中的水;肿瘤内温度相对较低且较为均匀。在人类肿瘤中,肿瘤内部可能存在较大的温度变化(高于或低于中位值数度)。肿瘤边缘和周围正常组织可能未被明显加热,而肿瘤内部温度更高。人类肿瘤中温度的空间变化与加热装置功率沉积的不均匀性有关,具体涉及以下方面的空间差异:(1)组织特性和(2)肿瘤周围及肿瘤内灌注。啮齿动物与人类肿瘤之间温度分布的差异可能导致对热疗的生理反应不同(图1)。

### 3.2 人类肿瘤的温度测量主要来自植入式热探针

由于人类肿瘤内温度具有异质性,温度测量对于评估治疗价值至关重要。迄今为止,绝大多数临床热数据来自直接肿瘤内测量。通常将一至两根导管置入肿瘤,当温度计在导管内来回推动时进行温度测量。所得数据通过温度分布的描述性指标来表示,如T90(分布的第10百分位数)、T50(分布中位数)或T10(第90百分位数)。温度分布的描述性指标不揭示温度的空间分布,而是提供整个肿瘤的总体总结。

无创温度测量可提供空间编码的热数据,该方法已在部分患者中实施。未来,无创温度测量与生理反应成像的结合可能揭示肿瘤内生理反应的异质性是否由局部温度变化决定。

## 4. 热疗对肿瘤代谢的影响

既往已有报道,酶活性随温度和加热时间增加而升高,直至达到酶变性的临界点。这些效应在加热过程中被观察到,可能影响热疗期间的氧合状态。然而,热疗期间发生的效应可能与24至48小时后发生的情况无关。

热疗后肿瘤中有两种已被记录的效应可能影响氧消耗速率:(1)转向无氧代谢和(2)热疗的直接细胞毒性。

### 4.1 热疗后转向无氧代谢

Kelleher利用近红外加热装置对大鼠DS肉瘤加热60分钟。该装置产生的温度分布与临床上观察到的类似,T90、T50和T10值分别为42.6、43.8和44.8°C。使用生物发光法对速冻组织进行检测,发现热疗后乳酸和葡萄糖水平显著升高,而ATP浓度降低。ATP浓度的降低与氧化磷酸化减少一致,而乳酸浓度的升高与转向无氧代谢一致。这种向无氧代谢的转变与氧消耗速率降低相关。

其他研究者使用31-P磁共振波谱监测在不同温度和加热时间下热疗后即刻的ATP浓度。他们显示在43至44°C的温度范围内,ATP/Pi(Pi=无机磷酸盐)比值随温度和加热时间显著降低。在犬肉瘤中,热疗后24小时ATP/Pi比值的降低取决于加热过程中的CEM43T50和CEM43T90。此外,ATP/PME(磷酸单酯)的降低与人类软组织肉瘤病理完全缓解率(pCR率)的概率显著相关。尽管啮齿动物和这些自发性肉瘤热疗后测量的时间间隔不同,但ATP降低的温度依赖性具有显著的相似性。

我们在人体软组织肉瘤中进行了一项II期研究,假设达到预定的热剂量将导致大于75%的pCR率。我们未能证明该假设,但在同一患者系列进行的平行研究发现,治疗前代谢因素如缺氧、磷酸二酯/无机磷酸盐(PDE/Pi)和磷酸单酯/无机磷酸盐(PME/Pi)比值与pCR率相关。我们推测,在该特定试验中,治疗前生理状态干扰了我们展示假设的热剂量-反应关系的能力。

Moon等人研究了42°C热疗后明显转向无氧代谢的潜在机制。热疗在热疗后数小时内增加了缺氧诱导因子-1α(HIF-1α)。HIF-1是由HIF-1α和HIF-1β亚基组成的异二聚体。当结合后,HIF-1进入细胞核并启动多种基因的转录,包括PDK1(3-磷酸肌醇依赖性激酶1),该酶控制向无氧代谢的转变。正常情况下,HIF-1α被脯氨酰羟化酶有效降解,该酶启动HIF-1α的降解,从而阻止异二聚体的形成。HIF-1α在缺氧期间稳定,因为脯氨酰羟化酶需要氧气才能发挥作用。然而,在热疗的情况下,HIF-1α降解的失活与氧化应激增加有关。向无氧代谢的转变将降低氧消耗速率,因为无氧代谢不依赖氧气产生ATP。

已知放疗也增加HIF-1依赖性转录,但HIF-1上调的潜在机制与热疗不同,且呈放射剂量依赖性。在常规分割放疗剂量范围内,HIF-1依赖性转录响应与再氧合相关的氧化应激增加而上调,随后响应浸润巨噬细胞产生的大量一氧化氮而出现持续的HIF-1上调。较高的单次放疗剂量(约15Gy范围)通过引起微血管损伤而减少灌注并增加缺氧;HIF-1依赖性转录随后因缺氧而上调。在放疗后即刻进行温和温度加热可减轻放疗引起的血管损伤导致的HIF-1α上调。热疗和放疗剂量对HIF-1表达的不同效应可能对影响肿瘤代谢和治疗反应具有重要意义。

评估热疗后代谢反应的另一种方法是18-FDG-PET。如果存在向无氧代谢的转变,在没有治疗导致大量肿瘤细胞死亡的情况下,葡萄糖摄取预计会增加。已有一些研究在热疗前后对人类患者进行了检查。然而,这些报告涉及在治疗过程中数周甚至治疗结束后进行的重复扫描。这些研究表明,18-FDG-PET摄取的降低与食管癌、直肠癌和软组织肉瘤患者的病理反应相关。这些结果更可能由细胞死亡程度主导,而非热疗诱导的细胞葡萄糖摄取变化。

### 4.2 热疗的直接细胞毒性

热疗的细胞毒性与温度呈对数关系,与加热时间呈线性关系。Sapareto和Dewey首次建立了将任何时间-温度历史转换为43°C下等效加热分钟数的方法。该公式已被证明可用于描述各种组织类型和组织温度时间历史范围内的组织损伤,只要温度低于50°C。43°C下累积等效分钟数的缩写称为CEM43。

一个重要的问题是,热疗的直接细胞毒性是否足以影响氧消耗速率。Rosner等人进行了一项理论研究,探讨在临床上观察到的典型非均匀温度分布下预计会有多少细胞死亡。温度分布来源于模拟皮下肿瘤的有限元热传递模型,其中功率由微波施加器传递。细胞毒性基于细胞杀伤概率的随机模型,该模型基于CHO细胞的存活曲线数据。对于60分钟热疗,模拟显示,当T90为41°C时,30-50%的细胞将被热疗直接杀死。这是因为高于T90的温度具有细胞杀伤作用。高于T90的模拟温度最高可达45.5°C。热疗杀伤30-50%的肿瘤细胞足以对氧消耗速率和肿瘤缺氧产生重要影响。

下面,我们将提供额外的临床结果,探讨灌注增加和/或热疗直接细胞杀伤是否有助于再氧合。

## 5. 热疗对肿瘤灌注和缺氧的影响

大多数已发表的临床前数据集中在热疗期间或治疗后即刻对灌注和缺氧的影响。然而,还有第二类研究关注热疗后24至48小时发生的影响。两者都将被讨论。

### 5.1 加热期间或即刻后的生理效应

热疗对肿瘤灌注和缺氧的影响已在临床前水平被广泛研究。临床前数据表明,在温和温度(39-42°C)下加热30至60分钟期间和加热后不久,灌注和氧合增加。在43-46°C温度下加热30至60分钟会导致显著的血管损伤,导致缺氧、无氧和坏死。因此,在临床前水平,肿瘤在热疗期间或即刻后的生理反应是双相的。如果再氧合仅在热疗应用期间发生,那么利用放疗获益将需要放疗与热疗同时应用。

### 5.2 加热后发生的生理效应

Oleson在其Robinson奖论文中假设,热疗联合放疗相较于单独放疗的增强效果必定是再氧合作用的结果。热疗后24小时进行的放疗分次剂量可能受到热疗诱导的再氧合作用的影响。他的部分理论基础是基于以下观察结果:临床试验中预后重要的温度处于温度分布的低端,该处几乎不发生直接细胞杀伤。

在Oleson的论文之后,发表了几篇与其假设一致的论文。Shakil等人首次报道了在大鼠R3230Ac乳腺肿瘤中,40.5-43.5°C温和温度水浴热疗30至60分钟后24小时出现再氧合。在30分钟热疗结束时,灌注增加了10-33%。在热疗后24小时,灌注进一步增加至基线的两倍。热疗后即刻,pO2值相较于基线增加了一倍。在热疗后24小时,pO2保持升高,尽管低于热疗后即刻观察到的水平。在其他肿瘤模型中也观察到了类似的效应。

有人推测,人体受试者在热疗后数小时至数天内很少发生再氧合;即使发生,也与增强放疗的细胞杀伤作用关系不大。鉴于肿瘤对热疗的生理反应复杂性,这一挑战需要严谨和批判性的思考。这一问题将在以下临床结果的讨论中得到解决。

### 5.3 人类热疗后再氧合的研究

Brizel等人报道,在38例接受术前热放疗(50 Gy,2 Gy/次,每周5次,每周1至2次热疗,在放疗后1至2小时进行)的软组织肉瘤患者中,部分患者在热疗后24小时出现再氧合。在常规分割放疗的第一周后,氧合(Eppendorf pO2组织学测定法)未发生变化。然而,在第一次热疗(在放疗第二周期间进行)后24至48小时,中位pO2从6.2 mmHg增加至12.4 mmHg,具有统计学显著性。再氧合与切除肿瘤中的坏死百分比之间存在显著相关性。坏死<90%的肿瘤中T90中位值为39.9°C,而达到>90%坏死[病理完全缓解;pCR]的肿瘤中T90为40.0°C[这一微小差异不显著]。T90值低于热疗直接细胞杀伤所需的温度。这反驳了pCR是热疗直接细胞杀伤结果的观点,正如其他研究者所假设的。尽管结果具有启发性,但在该系列中未对达到的热剂量与再氧合程度和治疗结局之间的关系进行严格检验。

Vujaskovic报告了一系列局部晚期乳腺癌女性的研究结果,这些患者接受了包含脂质体多柔比星[Myocet™和紫杉醇]联合热疗的新辅助化疗。该治疗的理论基础是利用热疗对血管通透性和脂质体渗出的影响。在第二次热疗前和热疗后24小时使用Eppendorf pO2组织学测定法进行pO2测量,此时与第二个化疗疗程重合。十八个肿瘤中有十一个为缺氧(中位pO2<10 mmHg)。在缺氧肿瘤中,十一个中有八个出现再氧合(中位pO2=19.2 mmHg)。再氧合的缺氧肿瘤的反应率高于未再氧合的亚组。在该患者组中,再氧合程度与热剂量之间无相关性,但有趋势表明,当中位T50保持在39.5至41°C之间时,再氧合的可能性更大。这一显示相对较低的T50值有更好反应机会的趋势,与另一组接受术前热疗、放疗和紫杉醇治疗的局部晚期乳腺癌患者的结果一致。达到部分或完全缓解的肿瘤基线时氧合良好或通过中位18 mmHg再氧合。对治疗无反应的肿瘤显示pO2降低,中位降低9 mmHg。在该临床系列中,温度不够高,不足以引起热疗可察觉的直接细胞杀伤。

### 5.4 犬类热疗后再氧合的研究

Vujaskovic还报告了13例接受热放疗的软组织肉瘤犬的肿瘤氧合变化系列研究。在第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时进行氧测量。使用Oxford Optronix™荧光寿命探针,通过将探针置于肿瘤深处,然后在回撤过程中记录pO2,在多个位置测量pO2。当T50值在39.5至44°C范围内时,观察到缺氧分数(HF)降低。当T50值大于44°C时,HF增加。与人类研究一致,温和温度热疗改善了肿瘤氧合,而较高温度导致明显的血管损伤,肿瘤缺氧增加。在该研究中,氧测量结果与治疗结局之间的相关性未进行分析。

Thrall等人进行了一项随机热剂量递增临床试验,比较了122例软组织肉瘤犬在联合分割放疗(2.25 Gy/次,25次)的两个不同热剂量组中的长期局部肿瘤控制。高热剂量组与低热剂量组之间的CEM43T90高17倍(图2A)。热剂量差异是通过在高热剂量组中产生更高的温度和更长的加热时间实现的(图2B,C)。高热剂量组的局部肿瘤控制持续时间显著更长,多变量分析中的风险比为2.3。

在该试验的亚组动物中测量了缺氧。这些结果此前未发表过。在第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时,使用Oxford Optronix™荧光寿命探针测定11个受试者中中位pO2和HF的变化(%测量值<10 mmHg)。中位pO2增加(p=0.0230)或HF降低(p=0.007)与局部控制持续时间之间存在显著相关性(表1)。

在另一个由16只动物组成的亚组中,在第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时给予吡莫硝唑。使用免疫组化确定缺氧分数,如Cline等人所述。吡莫硝唑阳性区域百分比的降低与局部失败时间增加呈负相关。鉴于这些分析中患者数量较少,需谨慎解读。然而,氧探针结果与吡莫硝唑数据之间的相似性表明,第一次热疗后的再氧合可能可预测局部失败时间。需要额外研究进行验证。

Thrall等人报告了另一项37例软组织肉瘤犬的试验,这些犬接受了两种不同的热疗剂量分割方案(5次(n=21)对比20次(n=16)),联合分割放疗(2.25 Gy/次,25次)。该热剂量分割试验的目标是实现两种分割方案之间等效的CEM43T90。工作假设是20次组相较于5次组将达到更好的抗肿瘤效果。最终分析显示,5次热疗组的CEM43T90略高且显著高于20次热疗组(5次与20次热疗分别为29.9与24.9 CEM43T90)。为了实现治疗组之间总CEM43T90的近似等效,5次热疗组每次治疗的加热时间长六倍。尽管5次热疗组的T50和T10值高于20次热疗组,但20次热疗组的总CEM43T10和T50值更高。这是该组热疗次数更多的结果(表S1和S2)。

在这些受试者中,在第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时测量了多个生理终点:pO2、MRI对比增强灌注、MRI表观扩散系数(ADC)和基因组分析。与假设相反,5次热疗组相较于20次热疗组显示更大的体积缩小(p=0.0022)。与治疗组相关的生理终点是治疗过程后ADC的变化和第一次热疗后24小时灌注的变化。此外,第一次热疗后24小时HF变化与治疗结束时肿瘤体积变化之间存在显著相关性;随着缺氧分数降低,肿瘤体积缩小。5次热疗组显示ADC降低的趋势。相反,20次热疗组显示ADC值增加(图S1)。治疗结束时ADC值的增加与第一次热疗后24小时的基因表达变化一致,与炎症诱导一致。因此,20次热疗组ADC的增加可能与炎症导致的水肿增加有关。

第一次热疗后两组的灌注反应也存在显著差异。5次热疗组表现出灌注增加,而20次热疗组表现出灌注减少。对该试验数据的进一步分析(此前未发表)表明,这些肿瘤中观察到的再氧合与热剂量分布相关。该分析结果显示在表2和表3中。

较高的CEM43T10与第一次热疗后24小时平均pO2改善(p=0.0214)和HF降低(<10 mmHg的百分点;p=0.0451)相关。CEM43T90与第一次热疗后24小时灌注之间存在显著正相关。第一次热疗后24小时平均pO2和灌注的增加与治疗结束时肿瘤体积缩小相关。较高的总CEM43T10和总CEM43T50与治疗过程结束时ADC变化相关(p=0.007和p=0.0007),但5次热疗组与20次热疗组的趋势不同。ADC降低与水的扩散系数降低相关,这可解释为水流动性的相对降低。已有报道,早期凋亡或凋亡混合坏死的出现与ADC增加相关。然而,在没有凋亡的情况下出现坏死、慢性坏死或纤维化时,ADC趋于降低。20次热疗组中相对较高的CEM43T10和-T50相关的ADC增加与以下观点一致:较高的累积热剂量导致细胞死亡和水肿增加。广泛的细胞死亡可能降低整个肿瘤的氧消耗速率,从而有助于改善氧合。较高的CEM43T10和-T50与治疗结束时更大的肿瘤体积缩小呈显著负相关。这些结果提供了温度分布特征、再氧合潜在机制与治疗反应之间的直接联系。

我们假设缺氧的降低与热剂量分布较高端(CEM43T10、-T50)相关的氧消耗速率降低相关,同时与温度分布较低端(CEM43T90)相关的灌注增加相关(图3)。然而,结果中存在一些矛盾之处。与T10与治疗结束时ADC变化之间的相关性相反,T10与治疗24小时后ADC变化之间无相关性。这些结果可被解释为表明细胞杀伤对第一次热疗后24小时的再氧合无贡献。T10与热疗后24小时ADC变化之间缺乏相关性可能与T10所代表的肿瘤体积相对较小有关(90%的测量值将

另一个需要考虑的选项是,大于T50的温度干扰了呼吸,从而降低了氧消耗速率。如本综述前面所讨论的,呼吸相对热敏感,在T10和T50的温度范围内降低(见图2)。即使在小亚体积的肿瘤中,氧消耗速率的降低也足以影响氧输送并降低缺氧分数。

氧消耗速率降低作为再氧合贡献者的额外证据来自以下观察结果:HIF-1调控的基因和蛋白质在这些受试者热疗后上调。HIF-1的增加将导致转向无氧代谢。

最后,无法随访这些个体以确定长期局部肿瘤控制或无进展生存期。显然,需要进一步研究。

Viglianti等人使用DCE/MRI[动态增强MRI]在接受热放疗的犬软组织肉瘤中检查了第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时的肿瘤灌注。在第一次热疗前和热疗后24小时测量灌注。尽管部分受试者在热疗后灌注增加,但与局部肿瘤控制无关联。Vaupel提出,积分温度-时间组合可能与热疗的双相血管效应相关。需要进一步工作来验证生理效应是否与该热剂量测量指标相关。然而,积分时间-温度方法已被报道与热放疗的治疗结局相关。

最近,Thomsen等人报道了正常受试者和乳腺癌胸壁复发患者胸壁皮肤的氧合变化。使用水过滤红外-A照射加热这一浅表肿瘤部位。使用高光谱成像确定血红蛋白饱和度。使用植入式光纤氧传感器(Oxford Optronix™,荧光寿命探针)直接测量pO2。在正常志愿者中,组织氧合在热疗期间增加以达到升高的平台,并在关闭电源后缓慢下降。Hb sat的测量遵循类似模式,升高持续至加热后15分钟。还提供了初步的患者数据,提示氧合变化的时间过程类似。这些数据具有启发性。我们期待后续报告,以确定这些荷瘤受试者氧合的改善是否与治疗结局相关。

Waterman等人使用基于监测微波施加器电源短暂关闭期间温度下降速率的热扩散方法,在热疗期间测量了浅表人类肿瘤的灌注。他还观察到加热期间灌注增加。这些患者接受了热疗联合放疗,但作者未报告灌注变化是否与肿瘤反应相关。

Thrall等人报告了七只犬在五周热疗联合放疗过程中肿瘤缺氧的变化。使用Oxford Optronix™荧光寿命探针每周3至4次测量缺氧。在五个基线缺氧的肿瘤中,四个在第一次热疗后观察到的缺氧降低在整个治疗过程中持续存在。这包括在未进行热疗的数天间隔期间进行的测量。在第五个基线边缘缺氧的肿瘤中,第一次热疗后24小时pO2值降至接近零,并在整个治疗过程中保持该水平。其余三个肿瘤基线时不缺氧,治疗过程未引起缺氧。在该肿瘤系列中,T90值远低于引起热疗可察觉直接细胞杀伤的温度。

## 6. 回顾与未来方向

如本综述开头所述,有人对热疗后1至2天内是否发生再氧合以及再氧合是否对放射生物学意义上的缺氧有任何影响提出了质疑。我们可以毫无保留地说,再氧合可在热疗后24小时甚至更长时间内发生。我们在以下研究中证明了这一点:(1)人体软组织肉瘤、(2)四个涉及犬软组织肉瘤的独立系列以及(3)两项局部晚期乳腺癌女性的临床试验。

有人提出疑问,病理完全缓解率等临床反应是否仅由热疗诱导的坏死引起,而非再氧合对放射敏感性的影响。尽管我们清楚地证明CEM43T10和CEM43T50与坏死诱导相关,但分布较低端的温度太低,不足以引起热疗的直接细胞杀伤(图2和表S1)。此前在人类肉瘤中也报道了类似结果。因此,如其他研究者所建议的,通过简单的坏死细胞杀伤来解释病理完全缓解或早期肿瘤反应似乎不太可能。

我们推测,再氧合是由于热疗对有氧细胞的直接细胞毒性导致整个肿瘤氧消耗速率降低而发生的。不能排除主要效应仅是热疗优先杀伤缺氧肿瘤细胞,而氧消耗速率在此并不重要。然而,我们认为在相对缺氧的肿瘤亚区中确实存在氧消耗。缺氧区域并非完全缺氧。它们由许多缺氧微灶组成,其中还包含靠近血管的含氧良好的细胞。较少缺氧的亚区域包含较少的这些缺氧微灶。通过观察肿瘤切片中缺氧标志物药物保留的分布,可以清楚地辨别这些模式,这些切片经免疫组化染色检测缺氧标志物药物-蛋白质加合物。杀伤相对缺氧亚区域内的有氧细胞将有助于降低整个肿瘤的氧消耗。

细胞死亡可通过T10值附近区域的直接凝固性坏死发生,T10值处于或高于45°C。另一方面,中等温度热杀伤(T50值为42-43°C)可降低氧化磷酸化和/或诱导有氧肿瘤细胞凋亡,从而有助于降低氧消耗以及降低组织压力以改善灌注。然而,我们需要承认,需要进一步工作来解决仅直接杀伤缺氧肿瘤细胞还是与氧消耗速率降低的组合是否有助于再氧合。

可用于解决此问题的一种方法是15O PET。重要的是,并非所有受试者都出现再氧合。事实上,部分受试者在热疗后24小时缺氧加剧。这种异质性反应的机制目前尚不明确。可能某些受试者的微血管更不成熟且对热更敏感。不成熟的微血管缺乏周细胞覆盖,缺乏强内皮细胞连接。此类微血管对VEGF撤除敏感,且对热更敏感。热疗对此类血管的选择性破坏将导致坏死和缺氧。

或者,缺氧的诱导可能由血管盗血引起。血管盗血被描述为负责响应某些血管活性药物而减少灌注和增加肿瘤缺氧。药物治疗后,周围正常血管发生扩张。另一方面,肿瘤血管通常缺乏平滑肌,无法扩张。由于正常组织与肿瘤组织之间血流阻力发生转移,血管盗血发生,从而将灌注分流至周围正常组织。

正常组织中的小动脉和小静脉比肿瘤小动脉更耐热。这种对永久停滞的相对热阻差异可能导致在引起肿瘤血管停滞的温度下正常组织中的血流增加。需要更充分的工作来解释为何某些受试者出现再氧合,而其他受试者缺氧加剧。无论如何,不同受试者肿瘤对热疗的异质性反应表明,需要在热疗治疗方案之前和期间测量缺氧程度,以区分从热疗诱导的再氧合中获益的热疗适用患者与热疗禁忌患者。

如前所述,高加热速率也可能导致血管损伤和持续性缺氧。温度分布特征和/或肿瘤位置可能在人类受试者对热疗的生理反应中发挥重要作用。

在一名宫颈癌和直肠癌受试者中,在热疗前和热疗后即刻使用H2 15O-PET测量了灌注。未观察到灌注增加。水分配系数增加,作者推测这可能影响氧输送。达到的温度低于肉瘤中观察到的温度,平均为40.7±0.6°C,而肉瘤中位数温度为41-42°C。

同样重要的是考虑热疗诱导的再氧合是否在免疫监视中发挥作用。已知热疗和放疗均通过多种机制增强免疫监视。然而,缺氧和乳酸中毒对先天性和适应性免疫系统均产生负面影响。因此,热疗诱导的再氧合可能在热放疗的增强抗肿瘤效应中发挥重要作用。灌注增加加上缺氧肿瘤细胞杀伤可降低乳酸水平(并增加pHe),从而有助于增强免疫。我们此前已显示热疗后24小时灌注增加与pHe增加之间存在直接正相关。我们未发现这些变化与犬软组织肉瘤热放疗后局部肿瘤控制之间的相关性,但热疗后24小时pHe增加与延长无转移生存期相关。基线pHe较低也与较短转移时间相关。或许这些基线或热疗后肿瘤酸度的差异与肿瘤免疫力相关。需要进一步研究来确定潜在机制。

尽管此处展示的结果支持热疗后再氧合的潜在机制,但受限于缺乏空间配准数据。功能成像具有揭示空间变化的热剂量如何影响肿瘤生理反应的潜力。使用MRI,可以在同一肿瘤中获取温度分布、灌注分布的连续测量和ADC分布。氧敏感MRI方法和/或18F-米索硝唑PET成像可揭示缺氧空间分布的信息。利用此类数据,将有可能估计整个肿瘤的细胞杀伤效率。

在一例人体软组织肉瘤热放疗治疗后,已进行了初步努力来确定细胞毒性效率,其中使用无创温度测量确定温度分布,放射治疗计划揭示同一肿瘤内RT剂量的空间分布。使用Loshek的大量CHO细胞细胞毒性数据估算了变化温度分布对细胞存活的影响,Loshek测量了单独42°C热疗、单独RT和联合治疗的时间依赖性细胞杀伤。

加热体积内示例病例的所有温度数据均使用Sapareto和Dewey CEM形式转换为42°C下的等效分钟数。有关确定细胞存活的方法的更多详情,请参阅文本S1以获取更多信息。人类患者小腿的软组织肉瘤如图4所示。图4A显示了肿瘤的位置,通过ADC成像。图4B显示了通过质子共振频率偏移MRI测量的温度分布。图4C描绘了治疗计划的放射剂量分布。

每个图像像素中单次放射剂量的预测细胞杀伤在50%范围内,并且在照射体积内是均匀的,因为放射的空间分布通过治疗计划设置为均匀(图4E)。变化温度分布对细胞杀伤的影响(以对数存活的负对数表示)显示肿瘤最热区域的高效杀伤,以及肿瘤较冷区域几乎无杀伤(图4F)。热放射增敏对细胞杀伤的影响见图4F。仔细观察显示热疗单独杀伤细胞区域周围的杀伤效率增强(图4D)。这些数据揭示了温度变化对细胞杀伤分布影响的有趣见解。

首先,在肿瘤较热区域内,热疗的细胞杀伤远大于2 Gy单独RT剂量的细胞杀伤。最大的细胞杀伤约为每个像素5个对数,发生在10-15%的肿瘤区域。这些较热区域的杀伤预计将降低氧消耗速率,从而有助于热疗后数小时至数天肿瘤其余部分的再氧合。其次,尽管热放射增敏明显,但不如人们预期的那么广泛,特别是在肿瘤较冷区域。即使这一个示例病例也表明应考虑更多此类模拟,特别是如果添加缺氧信息。

我们还基于上述Loshek数据进行了肿瘤控制概率(TCP)的一系列模拟。我们考虑了每周一次热疗诱导的放射增敏对六周或七周常规分割放疗过程中细胞存活和TCP的影响。其次,我们考虑了热疗后24小时部分缺氧肿瘤细胞向有氧区室移动的影响(文本S2和图5)。这些模拟基于我们在犬肉瘤中的观察结果。即使每次每周热疗后30%的转变也会导致TCP接近100%。另一方面,如果肿瘤在热疗后变得更加缺氧,如我们在某些受试者中观察到的,TCP会显著下降。缺乏再氧合预计会使所述肿瘤在所述放疗剂量下无法治愈。

尽管有明确证据表明,在某些犬类和人类肿瘤中,再氧合可在热疗后24至48小时内发生,但尚不确定个体肿瘤中发生的再氧合是否与长期治疗结局相关。我们报告了两个犬软组织肉瘤的小型亚组分析,表明第一次热疗后的再氧合可影响热放疗后局部肿瘤控制的持续时间。然而,需要在更大的患者系列中进行验证。

未来研究应旨在回答热疗后氧合变化是否与局部肿瘤控制以及无进展生存期和总生存期相关。我们还提醒,本综述中报道的人类肉瘤和局部晚期乳腺癌以及犬肉瘤数据基于几项小型研究。需要更大受试者数量的临床试验来验证热疗后再氧合导致更好抗肿瘤效果的观察结果。

同样重要的是要注意,许多与再氧合或热剂量本身无关的因素可能影响热放疗的治疗反应。例如:(1)热疗应用的技术差异、(2)热疗与放疗之间顺序和/或时间间隔的变化、(3)加热速率;其他生理因素如pH、灌注和/或代谢以及患者特定因素如年龄、吸烟史和基因组变异。因此,当我们试图梳理缺氧和再氧合如何影响治疗结局时,重要的是要牢记许多因素可能影响特定患者的最终结局。未来试验可从获取尽可能多的潜在缓解因素数据中获益。

## 7. 回到啮齿动物与人类肿瘤之间温度分布的差异

最后,我们需要回到最初的假设,即啮齿动物肿瘤与人和犬肿瘤之间的温度分布差异具有生理学重要性。我们表明,人类和犬肉瘤中分布较高端的热剂量产生与坏死诱导一致的ADC变化,而具有讽刺意味的是,产生再氧合。相反,分布较低端的温度与灌注增加相关。这些生理变化与治疗反应相关。

人类和犬肿瘤中这种生理反应的异质性在啮齿动物肿瘤中不会被观察到,因为水浴加热产生相当均匀的温度分布。这就提出了一个问题,为什么在一些啮齿动物肿瘤中观察到了再氧合,而在其他肿瘤中未观察到均匀温和温度水浴加热后的再氧合?对此有两种可能的解释:

(1)已有研究表明,温和温度热疗在某些肿瘤中增加HIF-1α表达。HIF-1反过来上调PDK-1,该酶控制从有氧代谢向无氧代谢的转变。这种转变将降低氧消耗速率,从而有助于再氧合。

(2)据报道,温和温度加热在体外和体内在某些肿瘤细胞类型中诱导凋亡和/或衰老。凋亡和衰老的诱导将降低氧消耗速率。凋亡也可能由于组织压力降低而有助于改善灌注。凋亡的优势似乎具有温度依赖性,在43°C下30至40分钟内随温度升高而增加;超过此温度,坏死成为主要细胞死亡机制。

上述再氧合的假定机制可能发生在某些肿瘤系中,但并非全部。揭示变异机制为未来临床前研究创建了一个清晰的框架,因为这些机制很可能与人类肿瘤的治疗反应相关。

同样重要的是考虑特定肿瘤系内治疗反应的变异原因。在临床前模型中很少检查肿瘤反应的个体差异。提供了一个涉及热疗的例子。Palmer等人检查了卵巢肿瘤模型SKOV-3对含有阿霉素的热敏脂质体的个体反应。肿瘤在42°C水浴中加热60分钟。使用光学光谱,他们测量了加热肿瘤中的血红蛋白饱和度[Hb sat]、总血红蛋白和药物浓度。主要结局变量是生长时间[达到治疗体积三倍的时间]。Hb sat和药物浓度与生长时间显著相关。此外,聚类分析显示,Hb sat和总Hb均较低的肿瘤生长时间相对较短。总Hb与血容量和灌注速率相关。

尽管光学光谱并不广泛使用,但有许多其他方法可以使用MRI或PET无创测量小鼠中与肿瘤缺氧、灌注和ADC相关的参数。建议未来的临床前研究设计考虑监测个体治疗反应。此外,建议使用产生峰值温度分布的加热方法,以反映临床上观察到的情况。例如,Kelleher使用近红外方法在大鼠肿瘤系中实现了峰值温度分布。此类研究对于为未来人类临床试验设计奠定基础可能具有无可估量的价值。

## 8. 结论

在本综述中,我们提供了令人信服的证据,表明热疗在人类和犬类癌症中引起持续至少24至48小时的延长再氧合。此外,我们表明再氧合可能由灌注增加以及推测的氧消耗速率降低引起。重要的是,这些效应与通常伴随临床实体癌热疗治疗的峰值温度分布特征相关。温度分布较高端与细胞杀伤和/或氧消耗速率降低的证据相关,而分布较低端的温度与灌注增加相关。这些效应似乎在热疗后同时在肿瘤中发生。

我们假设此类结果在临床前模型中缺乏验证的原因是,啮齿动物肿瘤加热通常在水浴中进行,不产生临床上观察到的峰值温度分布。最后,我们提出未来临床研究的建议,通过将功能成像与基于体外细胞存活曲线数据的细胞存活估计相结合,仔细检查热疗对细胞杀伤和生理的影响。此类研究可能提供关于热疗联合放疗哪些方面(热疗直接细胞杀伤、放疗直接细胞杀伤、再氧合对放疗细胞杀伤的影响以及热放射增敏)将对局部肿瘤控制产生最大影响的重要见解。

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**致谢** 作者感谢杜克大学热疗项目成员所做的宝贵贡献,他们生成了本文中展示的数据。特别感谢Thaddeus Samulski、Paul Stauffer、Oana Craciunescu、Zeljko Vujaskovic、Leonard Prosnitz、Ellen Jones、David Brizel、Donald Thrall、Susan LaRue、Edward Gillette、Greg Palmer和Gary Rosner。此外,感谢Greg Palmer在本文准备过程中提供的图形和编辑协助。

**出版者声明** 对于已出版地图和机构隶属关系中的管辖权声明,MDPI保持中立。

**补充材料** 以下支持信息可在https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/cancers14071701/s1下载:表S1:第一次热疗期间获得的温度:热剂量分割试验^;表S2:关键热特征:热剂量分割试验^;图S1:总CEM43T10与ADC平均值治疗前后相对变化;文本S1:与图4相关的补充方法;文本S2:与图5相关的补充材料;图S2:预测的克隆存活与治疗天数的关系,考虑热放射增敏;图S3:预测的肿瘤控制概率与治疗天数的关系。此图描绘了图S2所示两种情景的理论肿瘤控制概率与治疗天数的关系。点击此处获取额外数据文件。

**作者贡献** 概念化,M.W.D.;形式分析,J.K.和T.W.S.;调查,M.W.D.;数据整理,M.W.D.;写作-原稿准备,M.W.D.;写作-审阅和编辑,J.R.O.;可视化,M.W.D.,资金获取,M.W.D.。所有作者均已阅读并同意手稿的发表版本。

**资金** 本文中此前未发表的数据是在犬类临床试验期间生成的,该试验由NIH/NCI P01CA42745资助。

**数据可用性声明** 本文中此前未发表的数据可根据要求提供。

**利益冲突** 作者声明无利益冲突。