Low-dose total body irradiation: an overlooked cancer immunotherapy technique

Abstract

Low-dose total body irradiation (LD-TBI) has been shown to be an effective therapy for patients with hematologic malignancies. The application of this method has fallen out of favor as newer systemic therapies have been developed. Nevertheless, for management of many of these hematologic malignancies, no prospective randomized trial has shown that any other treatment is unequivocally superior to LD-TBI. The precise mechanism of action is uncertain but it is believed by some to be at least partly immunologically mediated. In this review, we shall discuss the clinical data on this method along with some new potential applications. We also discuss some of the potential immunological mechanisms behind LD-TBI and consider future possibilities.