TBI

[DEYEJ@aol.com]

Total Body Irradiation (TBI) is used by our clinic as well as numerous others 
to treat various cancers. It is not low dose for stimulating immune system 
response. The patient is treated very aggressively with chemotherapy; then 
they, or a matched individual, have bone marrow harvested and they are then 
given 3 Gy per day on four consecutive days (actually 1.5 Gy 6 hours apart 
each day). They are then 'salvaged' by the transplanting of the bone marrow. 
The purpose of the irradiation is to eliminate the occult disease which the 
chemo could not reach - in essence. This radical therapy has been used on 
various cancers such as lymphomas, leukemias, and metastatic breast.
J. Deye
Medical Physics, Inova Fairfax Hospital
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