INTRODUCTION Hematologic toxicity (HT), particularly leukopenia, is a common side-effect of oncologic treatments for pelvic malignancies. Pelvic nodal radiotherapy (PNRT) has been associated with HT development mainly through incidental bone… Click to show full abstract
INTRODUCTION Hematologic toxicity (HT), particularly leukopenia, is a common side-effect of oncologic treatments for pelvic malignancies. Pelvic nodal radiotherapy (PNRT) has been associated with HT development mainly through incidental bone marrow (BM) irradiation; however, several questions remain about the clinical impact of radiotherapy-related HT. Herein, we perform a systematic review of the available evidence on PNRT and HT. MATERIALS AND METHODS A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed through EMBASE. Hand searching and clinicaltrials.gov were also used. RESULTS While BM-related dose-volume parameters and BM-sparing techniques have been more thoroughly investigated in pelvic malignancies such as cervical, anal, and rectal cancers, the importance of BM as an organ-at-risk has received less attention in prostate cancer treatment. CONCLUSIONS we examined the available evidence regarding the impact of PNRT on HT, with a focus on prostate cancer treatment. We suggest that BM should be regarded as an organ-at-risk for patients undergoing PNRT.
               
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