Radiotherapy as an effective treatment modality for follicular lymphoma: a single institution experience

Effectiveness and tolerability of radiotherapy for patients with indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a monocenter analysis

To analyze the effectiveness and toxicities of radiotherapy in indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (iNHL) patients treated in our institution. Patients with iNHL treated with radiotherapy between 1999 and 2016 were included. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints were local control (LC), overall survival (OS) and toxicities. PFS, LC, and OS were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank test was used to investigate the differences between subgroups. Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate continuous analysis. Seventy-five patients were identified in our institutional database between 1999 and 2016. Fifty-eight (77.3%) had stage I after Ann-Arbor and 17 patients (22.7%) had stage II. The median follow-up was 87 months (95% CI 72-102 months). Median single dose per fraction was 2.0 Gy (range 1.5-2 Gy) and median total dose was 30.6 Gy (range 16-45 Gy). Radiotherapy was performed in 2D (n = 10; 13.3%), 3D (n = 63; 84.0%) and VMAT (n = 2; 2.7%) techniques, respectively. The median PFS was 14.0 years (95% CI 8.3-19.7 years). The estimated PFS after 5 and 10 years were 73.0% and 65.5% in Kaplan-Meier analysis, respectively. The 5- and 10-year LC were 94.9% and 92.3%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year OS were 88.6% and 73.9%. In univariate analyses of PFS, younger patients (≤ 60 years old) had significantly superior PFS to those older than 60 years old (5-year PFS 81.9% vs. 65.1%, p = 0.021). Dose escalation > 36.0 Gy had no prognostic influence in term of PFS (p = 0.425). Extranodal involvement, stage and histology had no prognostic impact on PFS. Depending on the site of lymphomas, the most common acute side effects were: dermatitis CTCAE° I-II (8.0%), xerostomia CTC° I (8.0%), cataract CTC° I (12.0%) and dry eyes CTC° I-II (14.6%). No adverse event CTC° III was reported. Most acute side effects recovered at 3 to 6 months after radiotherapy except for CTC° I cataract and xerostomia. Local Radiotherapy was highly effective for treatment of early stage iNHL with no serious side effects in our cohort. The most acute CTCAE° I-II side effects recovered 3 to 6 months later. Technique advances seem to have further improved effectiveness and tolerability of radiotherapy.Trial registration: Local ethics committee of Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich approved this retrospective analysis on the May 7th, 2019 (Nr. 19-137).

Treatment outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the head and neck: Two-institutional study for the significance of radiotherapy after R-CHOP chemotherapy

This study was performed to analyze the treatment outcome for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) involving the head and neck and to evaluate the role of radiotherapy in the rituximab era. Fifty-six patients diagnosed with DLBCL involving the head and neck were assessed. All patients were treated with 6 cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP). After chemotherapy, radiation was delivered to the head and neck area in a median dose of 36 Gy. Radiation was delivered using 3-dimensional radiotherapy (n  =  25) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (n  =  31). Primary endpoints were relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and local control rate. After median follow-up time of 45 months, the 5-year RFS and OS rates were 72% and 61%, respectively. Fourteen (25%) of 56 patients relapsed; 1 had a local relapse, 11 had distant relapses, and 2 had both local and distant relapses. The final local control rate after radiotherapy was 94%. Age, performance status, international prognostic index score, and radiotherapy response were significant prognostic factors for both RFS and OS in the multivariate analysis. Incidence of acute grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicity was 9% and 4%, respectively. Grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity occurred in 2 (4%) patients, and there was no grade 4 nonhematologic toxicity for the irradiated patients. Excellent local control and survival rates can be achieved with R-CHOP followed by radiotherapy in patients with DLBCL involving the head and neck. Treatment-related toxicity after the introduction of modern radiotherapy was acceptable and limited.