title: Radiation therapy for renal transplant rejection reactions.
abstract: Forty-four renal transplant patients were given radiation therapy for severe rejection phenomena. The 29 patients who had only one course of irradiation had a 52.3% successful function rate. Fifteen patients received from two to four courses of irradiation with an ultimate 60% rate of sustained function. Fifty patients who received only steroid and other medical management but no irradiation had a 60% rate of successful renal function. In the irradiation group, no patient whose creatinine level did not respond to radiation therapy maintained a functioning kidney. The data indicate that the overall successful function rate is maintained by radiation therapy in patients who show severe allograft rejection phenomena.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011878:Radiotherapy