CONTENT

To the Editor,

We would like to express our gratitude to the esteemed authors¹ who reviewed our article,² titled “The Protective Effect of Amifostine on Cardiovascular Tissue Receiving Radiotherapy,” and who offered their suggestions for improvement. As the authors noted, the cardiovascular effects of amifostine are not yet fully known. However, its protective effect against the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on other tissues has been demonstrated.^3,4 The objective of this study was to establish the foundations for subsequent research.

While the effects of radiation therapy generally manifest over time, it is acknowledged that these outcomes are long-term consequences of the acute phase response. The investigation of long-term efficacy in animal models is technically challenging due to the limited lifespan of these creatures.⁵ Consequently, it is reasonable to infer indirect conclusions from the results of our study. In the present study, no toxic effects were observed during the acute phase in experimental animals following administration of amifostine. Nevertheless, this does not negate the potential for long-term toxicity associated with the administration of the drug. Consequently, initiation of different animal models and dose titration studies may be considered.⁵ The authors’ comments are greatly valued and acknowledged.

While we will take the recommendations regarding statistical procedures into account, we believe that the current methods are sufficient for this basic introductory study. In this study, the Pearson chi-square test was used because the three-group comparison was based primarily on categorical distributions. Due to our limited sample size, exact P-values are reported. Only statistically significant findings from the post-hoc analyses are presented in the text, as this increases the readability of the article. Different statistical methods and analyses may be considered when planning further studies.

We would like to thank the authors for their valuable comments,¹ scientific contributions and scientifically advancing approaches.

Footnotes

Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

1. Omar MB. Comment on: protective effect of amifostine on radiotherapy. Anatol J Cardiol. 2025;29(12):742-.
2. Taylan G, Çaloğlu M, Yürüt Çaloğlu V. Protective effect of amifostine on radiotherapy-applied cardiovascular tissue. Anatol J Cardiol. 2025;29(7):355-361.
3. King M, Joseph S, Albert A. Use of amifostine for cytoprotection during radiation therapy: a review. Oncology. 2020;98(2):61-80.
4. Peters GJ, Van Der Vijgh WJF. Protection of normal tissues from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation by amifostine (WR-2721): preclinical aspects. Eur J Cancer. 1995;31A(Suppl 1):S1-S7.
5. Ribitsch I, Baptista PM, Lange-Consiglio A. Large animal models in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering: to do or not to do. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;8():972-.