PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - HARALDSDÓTTIR, KRISTÍN-HULD
AU  - INGVAR, CHRISTIAN
AU  - STENRAM, UNNE
AU  - TRANBERG, KARL-GÖRAN
TI  - Long-term Follow-up After Interstitial Laser Thermotherapy of Breast Cancer
DP  - 2015 Nov 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 6147--6152
VI  - 35
IP  - 11
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/35/11/6147.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/35/11/6147.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2015 Nov 01; 35
AB  - Aim: To review the effect of immunological changes induced by interstitial laser thermotherapy (ILT) on long-term outcome of patients with breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Twenty-four patients with invasive breast cancer were treated with ILT followed by standard surgical excision. Immunohistological reactions on immunocompetent cells were performed on specimens obtained before and after ILT. Follow-up time was 116 (range=91-136) months. Results: Significant prognostic factors were histologically-positive axillary lymph nodes and Ki67 positivity. ILT increased cytotoxic T (CD8+) lymphocytes within the tumor and mature dendritic cells (CD83+) and reduced the number of T-regulatory cells (Treg) CD25+/Forkhead box p3+ (FOXP3+) lymphocytes in regional lymph nodes. These changes did not correlate with prognosis. The number of CD8+ cells within the tumor, both before and after treatment, was significantly higher in patients with recurrence than in those without recurrence (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Patients with recurrent disease had a lower number of CD57+ cells in tumor-free lymph nodes than did patients without recurrence (p<0.05). Conclusion: ILT did not have any long-term adverse effects. The clinical impact of the supposedly favourable immune changes after ILT should be examined in a larger patient population.