Radiofrequency capacitive heating of deep-seated tumours using pre-cooling of the subcutaneous tissues: results on thermometry in Dutch patients.

The capacity of a radiofrequency, 13.56 MHz, capacitive hyperthermia system using extensive pre-cooling of the subcutaneous tissue to induce locoregional deep heating has been investigated in 11 patients. Tumour location was presacral in nine--and eccentric towards the lateral side of the pelvis in two patients. For thermometry multiple catheters (mean 2.7) were inserted into the treatment volume. The mean numbers of temperature measuring points per treatment were 9.4 in tumour, 5.5 in muscle and 7.2 in subcutaneous fat. RF energy was applied after 30 min of cooling through two flexible boli perfused with saline water at 5-10 degrees C. Patient tolerance to pre-cooling was very good and after some initial discomfort the patient became rapidly accustomed to the cold water boli. For some patients better temperatures were achieved when the conventional anterior-posterior applicator set-up was replaced by a set-up with an applicator on each lateral side of the patient. As patients can tolerate temperatures within the fat tissue as high as 45.5 degrees C without complaining it appears important to monitor the temperature at the transition of fat to muscle tissue to prevent subcutaneous burns. The study shows that pre-cooling cannot avoid preferential heating at the interface from fat to muscle tissue. In this patient group the quality of the hyperthermia treatment appeared to be rather poor: 60% of the measured tumour temperatures were below 40 degrees D.