Efficacy of radiotherapy for adult patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis / 中华血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze efficacy of radiotherapy for adult patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical features and efficacy of radiotherapy for biopsy-proven adult patient with LCH from January 2000 to October 2012 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Seventeen (11 male and 6 female) adult LCH patients with a mean age of 31 (18-56) years old were treated by irradiation, all patients presented as single-system disease. The mean duration from diagnosis to irradiation was 8.3 (0-108) months. Although 12 of 17 patients (70.6%) had short-term response to radiotherapy, all patients but one (94.1%) progressed during long-term follow-up, the mean progression-free survival (PFS) was 14 (0-131) months. Of the progressed patients, one relapsed in situ, the remaining 15 patients progressed outside the irradiated region. Thirteen patients (76.5%) eventually progressed to multisystem disease.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Though radiotherapy for LCH in adults produced a high short-term response up to 70.6%, most of patients eventually progressed in situ or outside the irradiation region during long-term follow-up.</p>