Successful palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy with superficial hyperthermia for heavily pretreated cutaneous breast cancer lesions
- 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract
Background: Hypofractionated radiotherapy has been successfully shown to reduce pain and skin lesion bleeding. In previously irradiated areas, the effect of hypofractionated radiotherapy (weekly 4 Gy radiotherapy to a total dose of 20 Gy) can be enhanced by hyperthermia: increasing temperatures in target areas up to 43 °C. Superficial hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy is a proven and widely applied treatment for recurrent breast cancer and malignant melanoma. Literature on the use of radiotherapy to cause hemostasis of the skin is available; however, the role of hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy for this indication is not yet described.
Short communication: We present a 72-year old woman with a history of breast cancer with painful and bleeding cutaneous metastases in the right upper arm and right breast which had a large impact on her quality of life. The metastases progressed under T‑deruxtecan treatment, and she was referred for re-irradiation to control the bleeding skin. Hyperthermia was added as a tumor-selective radiosensitizer to the radiotherapy fractions to enhance irradiation. The main treatment goal was to reduce bleeding and itching of the cutaneous lesions. The patient was treated once a week with hyperthermia immediately followed by 4 Gy radiotherapy fractions for 5 consecutive weeks. Bleeding was already decreased during the treatment series and the skin healed within 4 weeks after therapy.
Conclusion: Treatment with 5 × 4 Gy radiotherapy combined with hyperthermia sessions was a successful palliative therapy for bleeding cutaneous metastases. The treatment schedule was well-tolerated and the skin fully recovered within 1 month.
Related
- Delayed-Onset Malignant Hyperthermia With Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Following Successful Prior Anesthetic Use: A Case Report
- Evaluation of Individualized Sequential Therapy Centered on Surgical Excision and Superficial Radiotherapy in Treating Keloids in the Anterior Chest Wall
- Definitive Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Elderly Patients With Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: Predicting Complete Response Using a Machine Learning-based Approach
- Ablative ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy with surgical GI exclusion as a “functional spacer” for pancreatic cancer: a phase I safety and feasibility study
- Hemostatic Response to Palliative Radiotherapy for Bleeding Gastric Cancer and Pretreatment Endoscopic Characteristics: A Retrospective Cohort Study
BibTeX
@article{vrieshuizing2026successful,
title = {{Successful palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy with superficial hyperthermia for heavily pretreated cutaneous breast cancer lesions}},
author = {D. M. V. de Vries-Huizing and A. Holtmaat and M. W. Kolff and J. Crezee},
journal = {Strahlentherapie Und Onkologie},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1007/s00066-026-02536-x},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-026-02536-x},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Successful palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy with superficial hyperthermia for heavily pretreated cutaneous breast cancer lesions
AU - D. M. V. de Vries-Huizing
AU - A. Holtmaat
AU - M. W. Kolff
AU - J. Crezee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/22
JO - Strahlentherapie Und Onkologie
DO - 10.1007/s00066-026-02536-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-026-02536-x
AB - Background: Hypofractionated radiotherapy has been successfully shown to reduce pain and skin lesion bleeding. In previously irradiated areas, the effect of hypofractionated radiotherapy (weekly 4 Gy radiotherapy to a total dose of 20 Gy) can be enhanced by hyperthermia: increasing temperatures in target areas up to 43 °C. Superficial hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy is a proven and widely applied treatment for recurrent breast cancer and malignant melanoma. Literature on the use of radiotherapy to cause hemostasis of the skin is available; however, the role of hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy for this indication is not yet described. Short communication: We present a 72-year old woman with a history of breast cancer with painful and bleeding cutaneous metastases in the right upper arm and right breast which had a large impact on her quality of life. The metastases progressed under T‑deruxtecan treatment, and she was referred for re-irradiation to control the bleeding skin. Hyperthermia was added as a tumor-selective radiosensitizer to the radiotherapy fractions to enhance irradiation. The main treatment goal was to reduce bleeding and itching of the cutaneous lesions. The patient was treated once a week with hyperthermia immediately followed by 4 Gy radiotherapy fractions for 5 consecutive weeks. Bleeding was already decreased during the treatment series and the skin healed within 4 weeks after therapy. Conclusion: Treatment with 5 × 4 Gy radiotherapy combined with hyperthermia sessions was a successful palliative therapy for bleeding cutaneous metastases. The treatment schedule was well-tolerated and the skin fully recovered within 1 month.
SN - 0179-7158
SN - 1439-099X
ER -