The Dose per Fraction May be correlated with Late Kidney Toxicity after Total Body Irradiation: a Single Institution Experience

Background: The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the subacute or late toxicities in the kidney, lung, and liver after two total body irradiation regimens, 12 Gy in 6 fractions (group A) and 12 Gy in 4 fractions (group B). Methods: Forty-two patients who underwent total body irradiation (group A, n=32; group B, n=10) between June 1997 and June 2013 were included in the present study. The median follow up period was 60 months (range: 3–219 months) for the patients in group A and 143 months (range: 5–220 months) for the patients in group B. We evaluated the renal, pulmonary, and hepatic toxicities using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Results: There were 4 cases of chronic kidney disease (group A, n=1; group B, n=3). Although the cumulative incidence of chronic kidney disease differed significantly between the two total body irradiation regimens (p=0.014), the pulmonary and hepatic toxicities did not differ to a statistically significant extent. Conclusion: The present study suggests that a higher dose per fraction caused a higher incidence of chronic kidney disease.