Biological modeling in thermoradiotherapy

Biological modeling in thermoradiotherapy: present status and ongoing developments toward routine clinical use

Kok, H. P. (Amsterdam UMC; Cancer Center Amsterdam)
van Rhoon, G.C. (TU Delft RST/Applied Radiation & Isotopes; Erasmus MC)
Herrera, T. D. (Cancer Center Amsterdam; Amsterdam UMC)
Overgaard, J. (Århus University Hospital)
Crezee, J. (Cancer Center Amsterdam; Amsterdam UMC)

2022

Biological modeling for anti-cancer treatments using mathematical models can be very supportive in gaining more insight into dynamic processes responsible for cellular response to treatment, and predicting, evaluating and optimizing therapeutic effects of treatment. This review presents an overview of the current status of biological modeling for hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy (thermoradiotherapy). Various distinct models have been proposed in the literature, with varying complexity; initially aiming to model the effect of hyperthermia alone, and later on to predict the effect of the combined thermoradiotherapy treatment. Most commonly used models are based on an extension of the linear-quadratic (LQ)-model enabling an easy translation to radiotherapy where the LQ model is widely used. Basic predictions of cell survival have further progressed toward 3 D equivalent dose predictions, i.e., the radiation dose that would be needed without hyperthermia to achieve the same biological effect as the combined thermoradiotherapy treatment. This approach, with the use of temperature-dependent model parameters, allows theoretical evaluation of the effectiveness of different treatment strategies in individual patients, as well as in patient cohorts. This review discusses the significant progress that has been made in biological modeling for hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy. In the future, when adequate temperature-dependent LQ-parameters will be available for a large number of tumor sites and normal tissues, biological modeling can be expected to be of great clinical importance to further optimize combined treatments, optimize clinical protocols and guide further clinical studies.

biological modeling
equivalent dose
Hyperthermia
radiotherapy
thermal therapy

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b315ba25-2ab4-4d6f-8ce0-9770cd22695b

https://doi.org/10.1080/02656736.2022.2113826

0265-6736

International Journal of Hyperthermia, 39 (1), 1126-1140

Institutional Repository

review

© 2022 H. P. Kok, G.C. van Rhoon, T. D. Herrera, J. Overgaard, J. Crezee