Autio P, Saarto T, Tenhunen M, Elomaa I, Risteli J, Lahtinen T
Department of Dermatology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Br J Cancer. 1998 Jun;77(12):2331-5. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1998.387.
Fibrosis is a common side-effect of radiation therapy. As a complex network of cytokines and other mediators plays a central role in the process leading to fibrosis, we used an in vivo method to measure skin collagen synthesis, taking into account the physiological conditions. We determined suction blister (i.e. interstitial) fluid concentrations of types I and III procollagen propeptides, reflecting types I and III collagen synthesis, in irradiated and unirradiated skin of breast cancer patients 1-5 years after surgery and radiation therapy, hence using the patients as their own controls. The mean concentrations of the measured collagen markers were approximately two times higher in the irradiated skin than in the unirradiated contralateral breast skin. The difference slowly diminishes with time. These results indicate that abundant collagen synthesis in the irradiated skin continues several years after discontinuation of the radiation therapy, leading to fibrosis. The method outlined here offers a new in vivo perspective to study events leading to radiation fibrosis.
纤维化是放射治疗的常见副作用。由于细胞因子和其他介质的复杂网络在导致纤维化的过程中起核心作用，我们采用一种体内方法来测量皮肤胶原蛋白的合成，并考虑到生理条件。我们测定了乳腺癌患者在手术和放射治疗后1至5年的受照射皮肤和未受照射皮肤中I型和III型前胶原前肽的吸疱（即间质）液浓度，以反映I型和III型胶原蛋白的合成，因此将患者自身作为对照。所测胶原蛋白标志物的平均浓度在受照射皮肤中比未受照射的对侧乳房皮肤中高出约两倍。这种差异会随着时间慢慢减小。这些结果表明，在放射治疗停止后的数年里，受照射皮肤中仍持续大量合成胶原蛋白，从而导致纤维化。本文概述的方法为研究导致放射性纤维化的事件提供了一种新的体内视角。
