Percussion assisted radiation therapy in Hodgkin lymphoma allows a marked reduction in heart dose

Background and purpose: Early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a highly curable disease but the treatment can induce late complications many years later. Irradiation of the healthy heart is inevitable during radiation treatment of mediastinal sites. We developed a novel method to induce a prolonged apnea-like state that can help decrease the dose to organs at risk during radiation therapy. We present the results of the first 8 HL patients treated routinely with percussion assisted radiation therapy (PART) in our clinic.

Material and methods: We used a newly developed high-frequency non-invasive ventilation system to suppress respiratory motion for prolonged periods and push the heart away from the treated volume.

Results: All 8 patients were able to rapidly learn the technique and had an advantage to be treated by PART. We lowered the mean heart dose by an average of 3 Gy with similar target coverage compared to a classical free breathing treatment plan. They were all treated for 15 radiotherapy sessions by PART without any notable side effects.

Conclusions: Percussion assisted radiation therapy can be used routinely to reduce the dose to the heart in Hodgkin lymphoma.