Abstract
Lymphopenia is a common accompaniment of multimodal cancer therapy. As the most radiosensitive cells of the hematopoietic system, lymphocytes residing within or circulating through a radiation portal are frequently depleted by radiation therapy. The recognition that radiation-induced reduction of circulating lymphocyte counts and eventual lymphocyte infiltration of tumors have a tangible impact on overall survival outcomes has revived the interest in understanding the causes of treatment-associated lymphopenia and developing strategies to predict, prevent and ameliorate this well-documented phenomenon. In this systematic review, we have performed a comprehensive search of the literature to elucidate the studies that document a correlation between radiation-associated lymphopenia and survival outcomes in solid malignancies. We also summarize potential unifying paradigms that account for radiation-induced lymphopenia across studies and lay the groundwork for attempting to explain and/or counter this phenomenon.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 42-51 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology |
Volume | 123 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2018 |
Keywords
- Chemotherapy
- Lymphopenia
- Radiation
- Systematic review
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology
- Oncology