radiotherapy in immunoproliferative small intestinal disea se: a retrospective compa rison of chemotherapy plus radiation with chemotherapy alone

in order to evaluate the results of abdominal radiation plus chemotherapy in cases with stage ii and iii of immunoproliferative small intestinal disease in comparison to chemotherapy alone, fifty-one patients referred to shiraz university of medical sciences' affiliated hospitals were studied between 1980 and 1994. out of them 38 patients who had an abdominal mass were gathered into two groups retrospectively. group a, including 21 patients, had received only chemotherapy after operation and tissue diagnosis. group b, consisting of 17 patients, received radiation to the whole abdomen in addition to systemic chemotherapy. four patients (19%) in group a were alive with no evidence of disease after three years and in the other group (b) 7 patients (41 %) who had received radiation in addition to systemic chemotherapy had survived in disease free status. it therefore appears that radiation to the whole abdomen in small daily fraction doses and a total dose not greater than the optimal tolerance of the liver and other critical abdominal organs plus chemotherapy can be an effective adjuvant treatment in stage ii and iii disease.