Radiotherapy in the Modern Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma

Radiation therapy (RT) has long been an important part of the history of curative treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma since the pioneering work of Vera Peters, MD and Henry Kaplan, MD. The contemporary role of radiation therapy in the management of patients with early-stage favorable and unfavorable disease, advanced disease, and relapsed/refractory disease will be explored. Seminal clinical trials that highlight the critical role of RT in local control and progression-free survival will be reviewed. The interest in combined modality therapy (CMT) (combination of chemotherapy and RT) will be explored as well as the use of CMT with emphasis on cost effectiveness, age and sex, and risk profile including secondary malignancy and cardiac toxicity compared with chemotherapy alone. Contemporary radiation treatment volumes, techniques, and doses will be discussed as modern strategies to mitigate late toxicities while maintaining efficacy.