Mediastinal irradiation for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Thirty-one patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia were treated with mediastinal radiation. In none of the patients was complete remission achieved; either partial remission or clinical improvement was achieved in 52 per cent, but the duration of response was short. The response rate was 77 per cent for the patients receiving a total radiation dose greater than 3,000 rads and 45 per cent for those receiving less than 3,000 rads. Severe life-threatening toxicity was noted in 11 patients and seven of these patients died; two patients died with progressive disease. Severe toxicity was manifested by one or more of the following: bone marrow aplasia, pancytopenia, gram-negative sepsis, generalized herpes zoster and severe esophagitis. Neither the total dose of radiation nor the dose per week correlated withe the severity of reaction or death.
D000368:Aged; D001792:Blood Platelets; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000097:blood / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000528:radiation effects; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008482:Mediastinum; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013154:Spleen / Q000528:radiation effects
D006454:Hemoglobins