Therapeutic use of fractionated total body and subtotal body irradiation

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Abstract
Ninety‐one patients were treated using fractionated subtotal body (STBI) or total body irradiation (TBI). These patients had generalized lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, leukemias, myelomas, seminomas, or oat‐cell carcinomas. Subtotal body irradiation is delivered to the entire body, except for the skull and extremities. It was expected that a significantly higher radiation dose could be administered with STBI than with TBI. STBI was given when there was a reasonable likelihood that malignancy did not involve the shielded volumes. A five‐ to ten‐fold increase in tolerance for STBI was demonstrated. Many of these patients have had long‐term (up to 17 year–? permanent) remissions. There is little or no treatment‐induced symptomatology, and no “sanctuary sites.” STBI and TBI are useful therapeutic modalities for many of these malignancies.