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What dose and fractionation do you use to palliate mycosis fungoides lesions?

There seems to be a wide variety of palliative doses used in clinical practice (8 Gy x1, 2 Gy x2, and 20 Gy in 10 fx). Do you have a preferred dose? Do you think 2 Gy x2 is enough of a palliative dose for mycosis?
1 Answer
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Duke University Medical Center
Answered on

I will admit that I utilize a wide range of fractionation schedules, depending on the clinical circumstances when treating mycosis fungoides. The data suggests that 2 Gy x2 is not an effective palliative schedule, with a CR rate of only ~30% with almost all lesions requiring re-treatment (Neelis et al., PMID 18834672). A total dose of 8 Gy, delivered as a single fraction (Thomas et al., PMID 22818412) or 4 Gy x2 (Neelis et al., PMID 18834672), is associated with a much higher CR rate (>90%). While CR rates are very high with 8 Gy, the durability isn't as clear. An older study from Washington University demonstrated that higher doses lead to longer disease-free intervals and lower rates of recurrence (Cotter et al., PMID 6195138).

Thus, for p...

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