Hyperthermia and low dose-rate irradiation.

Hyperthermia combined with 60Co gamma irradiation was studied using V79 hamster cells cultured in vitro. Modest hyperthermia (41 degrees C for 6 hrs.) enhanced the cell killing produced by acute exposure to radiation. The same treatment enhanced the effect of low dose-rate irradiation (200 rads/hr.) even more. The sequence in which modest hyperthermia was combined with low dose-rate irradiation was important. Maximal enhancement was observed when hyperthermia was followed by irradiations. The probable explanation is that, by damaging the repair system, prior heat renders the cells unable to repair sublethal damage during subsequent low dose-rate irradiation.