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Radiation therapy is treatment with high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It is not usually the main treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but there are times when it might be helpful.

When is radiation therapy used for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)?

Radiation therapy is seldom part of the main treatment for people with CLL, but it may be used in certain situations. The number of treatments you have will depend on why the radiation is being given.

To shrink swollen organs

Radiation can treat symptoms caused by swollen organs pressing on other organs. For example, an enlarged spleen can put pressure on the stomach, making it hard to eat.

If these symptoms aren’t improved with other treatments like targeted drugs or chemotherapy, radiation therapy may help shrink the organ.

To treat bone pain

Radiation can be useful in treating pain from bone damage caused by leukemia cells growing in the bone marrow.

Before a stem cell transplant

Before a stem cell transplant, radiation is sometimes given to the whole body to help destroy the cells in the bone marrow (including leukemia cells). This is known as total body irradiation, or TBI.

How is radiation therapy given for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)?

External beam radiation therapy is the type of radiation used most often for CLL. During this treatment, a machine sends a beam of radiation to a specific part of your body.

Before your treatment starts, the treatment team will take careful measurements to determine the proper dose of radiation and the correct angles for aiming the radiation beams.

Getting radiation therapy is a lot like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is more intense (stronger). The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, but the setup time (getting you into place for treatment) usually takes longer.

Side effects of radiation therapy

The side effects of radiation therapy depend on where in the body the radiation is aimed. They can include:

• Skin changes in the treated area, ranging from mild redness to what looks and feels like a bad sunburn
• Fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Low blood cell counts, increasing the risk of infection and bleeding (if radiation is given to the whole body)
• Nausea and vomiting (more common with radiation to the belly)
• Diarrhea (more common with radiation to the belly)

Ask your cancer care team what side effects to look out for and what you can do about them.