Splenic irradiation for patients with polycythemia vera

摘要

AbstractSeven patients with a diagnosis of polycythemia vera (PCV) with symptomatic splenomegaly received 10 courses of splenic irradiation. Patients received a total dose of 250–1,425 cGy to the whole spleen with twice‐weekly fractionation beginning with 25 cGy per fraction, gradually escalating to no more than 100 cGy per fraction. All 10 courses resulted in palliation of the symptoms of abdominal discomfort and early satiety. Greater than 50 reduction in spleen size was observed in 7 of 10 courses. The primary toxicity was a transient decrease in circulating platelets though two patients with thrombocytopenia at presentation had improvement in their platelet counts corresponding with a decrease in spleen size. These results demonstrate that splenic irradiation with low dose, twice‐weekly irradiation is an effective way to reduce spleen size and palliate symptoms in patients with PCV. © 1995 Wiley‐L