Evaluation of The Effectiveness and Side Effects of Radiotherapy in Patients With Primary Nervous System Lymphoma. A Single Center Experience

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the overall and progression-free survival, the radiotherapy process and the early and late adverse effects in patients who underwent radiotherapy (RT) for primary nervous system lymphoma in our clinic.
Method: Between January 2010 and September 2019, 16 patients who received radiotherapy due to primary central nervous system lymphoma in our clinic were examined according to their statistically significant differences in terms of survival and side effects.
Results: The median disease-free survival of the patients was 6 months, and the median overall survival was 12.5 months. 18.75% of the patients could not receive chemotherapy but only radiotherapy. Radiotherapy doses were range from 2600 to 5000 cGy. When patients were evaluated in terms of radiotherapy dose, field size and chemotherapy, no statistically significant difference in overall survival was detected. Cognitive disorders were observed as the most common late side effects while the most common acute side effects in patients were headaches.
Conclusion: In the treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma, changes in radiotherapy portals and radiotherapy doses can be predicted in patients who received high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy or not. Furthermore, it has been considered that more comprehensive studies are needed to increase the success of treatment and provide standardization in treatment, especially in patients with elderly and comorbid diseases.