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Anticoagulation and high dose liver radiation. A preliminary report
Author(s) -
Lightdale Charles J.,
Wasser Jeffrey,
Coleman Morton,
Brower Mark,
Tefft Melvin,
Pasmantier Mark
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197901)43:1<174::aid-cncr2820430126>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - medicine , warfarin , hepatitis , liver disease , radiation dose , surgery , radiology , gastroenterology , nuclear medicine , atrial fibrillation
Two groups of patients were observed for evidence of acute radiation hepatitis during “high dose” radiation to the liver. The first group of 18 patients with metastatic liver disease received an average of 4,050 rad to the whole liver. Half received anticoagulation with warfarin. One patient on anticoagulation developed evidence of acute radiation hepatitis while 2 patients did so without anticoagulation. Eleven patients with Hodgkin's disease received 4,000 rad to the left lobe of the liver during extended field radiation. Four of these 11 patients were anticoagulated to therapeutic range. Only one of the fully anticoagulated patients showed changes on liver scan consistent with radiation hepatitis whereas three did so without anticoagulation. No serious sequelae from anticoagulation occurred in either group. These preliminary data suggest that anticoagulation may be safely administered with high dose hepatic radiation and that further trials with anticoagulation are warranted.