How do you manage severe fibrosis/contracture and breast/axilla pain in a patient with a history of breast radiation who cannot tolerate trental?
Patient had significant GI side effects with Trental. (This particular case involved a second course of radiation for a secondary lung cancer 30+ years later)
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
I have seen some patients with dramatic responses to pentoxifylline (Trental) and vitamin E, but the regimen needs to be continued for at least one year to prevent relapse (Delanian et al., PMID 12829674). However, this patient cannot tolerate Trental, so that is not feasible. Hyperbaric oxygen has ...