TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in head and neck tumor hypoxic fraction during split-course radiochemotherapy
AU - Jund, Rainer
AU - Feldmann, Horst Jürgen
AU - Stadler, Peter
AU - Wollenberg, Barbara
AU - Molls, Michael
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - This study explored patterns of oxygen distribution in human tumors during primary radiochemotherapy. Patients with positive nodes from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (n = 15) were investigated before therapy, before and after a 2-week respite, and at the end of the treatment. Intratumoral tissue oxygen tension (pO2) was measured with sterile polarographic needle electrodes and a computerized histography system. The 2 lowest pO2 classes, ie, 0 and 5 mm Hg, were designated the hypoxic fraction, and the mean and median pO2 were evaluated for each tumor. In the beginning, a marked variability in tissue pO2 was found. The initial size of the hypoxic fraction ranged from 0% to 61% of measured values. At the end of treatment, 4 tumors showed an increase in mean pO2, and 7 tumors a lower mean pO2 in comparison to the initial values. However, an impressive finding was that the hypoxic fraction of 9 tumors became smaller during the pause, 1 tumor showed no change, and 1 showed an increase in hypoxic fraction. The results show that there is a widely distributed tissue oxygenation with marked hypoxic zones in human neck nodes. During radiochemotherapy, tissue oxygenation changed, with great intertumor variability. A tendency toward a decrease of the hypoxic fraction after the respite could be seen. This change in tumor oxygenation during therapy needs further evaluation.
AB - This study explored patterns of oxygen distribution in human tumors during primary radiochemotherapy. Patients with positive nodes from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (n = 15) were investigated before therapy, before and after a 2-week respite, and at the end of the treatment. Intratumoral tissue oxygen tension (pO2) was measured with sterile polarographic needle electrodes and a computerized histography system. The 2 lowest pO2 classes, ie, 0 and 5 mm Hg, were designated the hypoxic fraction, and the mean and median pO2 were evaluated for each tumor. In the beginning, a marked variability in tissue pO2 was found. The initial size of the hypoxic fraction ranged from 0% to 61% of measured values. At the end of treatment, 4 tumors showed an increase in mean pO2, and 7 tumors a lower mean pO2 in comparison to the initial values. However, an impressive finding was that the hypoxic fraction of 9 tumors became smaller during the pause, 1 tumor showed no change, and 1 showed an increase in hypoxic fraction. The results show that there is a widely distributed tissue oxygenation with marked hypoxic zones in human neck nodes. During radiochemotherapy, tissue oxygenation changed, with great intertumor variability. A tendency toward a decrease of the hypoxic fraction after the respite could be seen. This change in tumor oxygenation during therapy needs further evaluation.
KW - Neck nodes
KW - Radiochemotherapy
KW - Tumor oxygenation
KW - Tumor physiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032891542&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/000348949910800111
DO - 10.1177/000348949910800111
M3 - Article
C2 - 9930544
AN - SCOPUS:0032891542
SN - 0003-4894
VL - 108
SP - 73
EP - 78
JO - Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology
JF - Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology
IS - 1
ER -