SEMRA GÜNAY, ÖMÜR YILDIZ ALAN, ÖZGE KANDEMİR GÜRSEL, ORHAN YALÇIN
Turkish Journal of Oncology - 2019;34(2):81-86
OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of pentoxifylline against radiation injury in patients with breast cancer. METHODS A total of 82 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery and intraoperative electron radiotherapy (RT) as a boost followed by whole-breast RT in the past circa 5 years and completed the full RT dose at least 1 year before were included into this retrospective study. The patients who received prophylactic pentoxifylline (n=44) were assigned to Group A, and those who did not (n=38) to Group B. All cases were evaluated a month (early) and 1 year (late) later, scored according to the Late Effects Normal Tissue Task Force-Subjective, Objective, Management, Analytic scale and analyzed using an independent t-test. RESULTS In Group A, the score was 0, 1, 2, and 3 in 24, 11, seven, and two cases, respectively, in the early period and in 26, 10, five, and three cases, respectively, in the late period. In Group B, the score was 0, 1, 2, and 3 in 20, 10, five, and three cases, respectively, in the early period, and in 15, 12, six, and five cases, respectively, in the late period. The average scores in Groups A and B were, respectively, 0.90/0.86 in the early and 0.65/1.02 in the late period. According to the t-test, there was a significant difference in the late period (p=0.001) in favor of Group A. CONCLUSION Penthoxifylline was effective in protection against the radiation injury.
