Polychromatic light (480–3400 nm) similar to the terrestrial solar spectrum without its UV component in post-surgical immunorehabilitation of breast cancer patients

Abstract

To this day, two methods of phototherapy (PT) have been successfully used in post-surgical immunorehabilitation of patients with breast cancer (BC): intravenous laser irradiation of the patients' blood and reinfusion of lympholeukosuspension of BC patients after single irradiation with HeNe laser. The objective of this pilot experimental study was to verify the effectiveness of the percutaneous use of polychromatic visible light combined with polychromatic infrared (pVIS+pIR) radiation similar to the major components of natural solar spectrum in post-surgical management of BC patients. Patients with BC (adenocarcinoma) of I–II stages, n=19 who had undergone mastectomy, were divided into 2 groups. The control group of patients (n=8) underwent a conventional course of post-surgical rehabilitation and sham irradiation. Patients of the PT group (n=11) additionally received 7days of daily treatment with polychromatic light on the sacral area, D=15cm. The PT course began on the day after mastectomy (Bioptron-2 device; Switzerland, 480–3400nm, 95% polarization, 40mW/cm2, 24J/cm2). Mastectomy produced many changes in cellular and humoral immunity, which was recorded on the 1st and 8th post-surgical days. The PT course resulted in a faster normalization of post-surgical leukocytosis and activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T-lymphocytes (Lym), reduced the elevated concentration in blood of immune complexes and in parallel promoted cytotoxic activity of CD16+/CD56+ NK-cells. The PT up-regulated the number of NK-cells in patients with its decrease on the 1st post-surgical day and prevented the decrease in the amount of monocytes, CD19+ B-Lym, CD3+ T-Lym, CD4+ T-helpers, activated CD3+/HLADR+ T-Lym, and the decrease of the phagocytotic capability of neutrophils. PT blocked the down-regulation of the IgM, IgA concentration and abnormally sharp increase of the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ content. Therefore, a 7-day course with polychromatic light prevented the development of immunosupression in the BC patients at the early post-mastectomy period.