Radiation therapy options

Radiation therapy for blood cancer is used to destroy cancer cells, or to relieve pain or discomfort caused by an enlarged liver or spleen, or swollen lymph nodes. Radiation can also help to treat pain from bone damage caused by blood cancer cells growing in the bone marrow. Depending on your individual needs, your radiation treatments may be combined with other therapies, like immunotherapy and chemotherapy, to prevent the growth of new cancer cells.

Following are some of the many radiation therapies City of Hope offers to blood cancer patients.

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)

EBRT is a common treatment option for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and may help reduce swelling in the lymph nodes, liver or spleen. For Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, EBRT may be used to destroy lymphoma cancer cells or to prevent the cells from growing and reproducing. EBRT is a fast, painless outpatient procedure.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

City of Hope radiation oncologists use a form of IMRT that includes an on-bard CT scanner of precise targeting of radiation. While traditional radiation therapies project radiation onto a tumor from only a few directions, IMRT delivers precise doses of radiation from 360 degrees. IMRT may be an appropriate option for you if you have advanced-stage or recurrent cancer and are no longer able to receive traditional radiation.

Total body irradiation (TBI)

If you undergo a stem cell transplant for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, your hematologist may prescribe TBI prior to that procedure. Like other types of radiation therapy, TBI destroys cancer cells. Because it targets the entire body, it also suppresses the immune system and kills diseased bone marrow cells. TBI before a stem cell transplant helps your body make room for new, healthy bone marrow cells, and reduces the likelihood of your body rejecting the transplant.