Fibrosis of the Breast Skin After Irradiation is Reversible and Preventable by Exogenous Decorin.

摘要

Cutaneous fibrosis after breast cancer radiotherapy is unavoidable, progressive, and irreversible. Currently there is no satisfactory, preventive therapy to ameliorate this process. Overexpression of fibrogenic cytokine TGF beta has been associated with soft tissue fibrosis, and reduction of its production or activation can ameliorate radiation induced normal tissue toxicity. Decorin is a small, leucine-rich proteoglycan, and is thought to be a natural inhibitor of TCF beta. In this study, we investigated whether decorin can reduce or prevent radiation induced acute and chronic damage to cutaneous tissue in mouse model. We showed inflammatory changes of the papillary dermis in several mouse strains occurred within two weeks of irradiation.