Current Status of Total Body Irradiation in Conditioning Regimen for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Survey in the Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study (JACLS) Group

Abstract

We surveyed methods of total body irradiation (TBI) in conditioning regimens of stem cell transplantation (SCT) for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at participating institutions of the Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study (JACLS) ALL-97 protocol. We obtained information about TBI from 25 institutions. Total dose of 12 Gy fractionated by four to six in two to three days for TBI was conducted in 22 of 25 institutions. High-risk patients, such as patients with Philadelphia positive ALL, received over 12 Gy in five institutions. Beam direction and patient's positioning were horizontal and lateral respectively in 15 institutions. Shielding of lung and/or eyes and boost irradiation to central nervous system and/or testis were done in 24 and 11 institutions respectively, but in various ways. We have to keep in mind that a great variety of TBI have been undergone in each institution when we intend to interpret multi-institutional trials of treatment including SCT for patients with ALL.