Role of radiotherapy in the management of non-Hodgkin lymphomas

• Published in: Cancer radiothérapie Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 236 - 247
• Main Authors: Gastaud, L, Rossignol, B, Peyrade, F, Ré, D, Thariat, J, Thyss, A, Doyen, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01.05.2016
• Subjects: Humans; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone - radiotherapy; Lymphoma, Follicular - radiotherapy; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin - radiotherapy; Prospective Studies; Radiotherapy - methods; Retrospective Studies; Skin Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; Lymphome de bas grade; High-grade lymphoma; Radiothérapie; Lymphome malin non hodgkinien; Lymphome de haut grade; Low-grade lymphoma; Radiotherapy
• ISSN: 1769-6658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canrad.2016.01.011

The purpose of this review was to summarize recent data about lastest retrospective and prospective studies dealing with radiotherapy of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in order to precise the schedule and the role of this treatment. A systematic review was done by searching studies on the website http://www.pubmed.gov (Medline) using the following keywords: radiotherapy, radiation therapy, non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The management of non-Hodgkin lymphoma varies a lot according to the histological type and stage. The dose of radiotherapy has been studied in only one randomized trial, which concluded that there was no difference between the low dose and the high dose arms. Radiotherapy is a very good option in follicular, cutaneous, digestive or orbital non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A recent post hoc analysis of randomized trials on radiotherapy for high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma strongly suggested a benefit of additional radiotherapy after chemotherapy in some situations. Radiotherapy of low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a very good option, while its use on high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma is sometimes recommended but further randomized trials are ongoing to better understand its role.