Key result
Very low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy) achieved a complete response in 60% of treated lesions (6 of 10) in patients with primary BALT lymphoma, compared to 80% (4 of 5) with full-dose radiotherapy.
Why the study?
Does radiotherapy, including very low-dose radiotherapy, improve response rates in patients with primary BALT lymphoma?
Observational (n=13)
No
Does radiotherapy, including very low-dose radiotherapy, improve response rates in patients with primary BALT lymphoma?
Radiotherapy, including very low-dose regimens, appears to be a safe and highly effective treatment strategy for primary BALT lymphoma.
Does not support practice change; hypothesis-generating for prospective trials of low-dose RT in BALT lymphoma.
Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) is a rare cancer for which optimal treatment strategies are undefined. Retrospective analyses suggest excellent outcomes with surgical resection for localized BALT lymphoma; however, the role of radiotherapy remains underexplored. We report the largest-to-date single-center analysis of 13 primary BALT lymphoma patients treated with radiotherapy. Of 15 treated lesions, we report a 100% response rate with complete response (CR) achieved in 67% of lesions. Among 10 lesions treated with very low-dose radiotherapy (VLDRT; 4 Gray [Gy]), 6 (60%) achieved a CR; among 5 lesions treated with full-dose radiotherapy (24-36 Gy), 4 (80%) achieved a CR. There were no local recurrences. Only one patient, treated with 30 Gy, developed an acute grade 3/4 toxic effect. There were no events of radiation-induced secondary malignancies. Our institutional experience indicates that radiotherapy, including VLDRT, is a safe and effective treatment for primary BALT lymphoma.
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Freret et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) (n=13). Very low-dose radiotherapy (VLDRT) vs. Full-dose radiotherapy (24-36 Gy) was evaluated on Complete response (CR). Very low-dose radiotherapy (4 Gy) achieved a complete response in 60% of treated lesions (6 of 10) in patients with primary BALT lymphoma, compared to 80% (4 of 5) with full-dose radiotherapy.
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