Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of bronchus associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) is rare and generally has an excellent prognosis with resection alone. Too bad it primarily occurs in older patients who may not be great candidates for surgery. Since radiation alone, even at very low doses, achieves good responses for marginal zone lymphomas outside the lung, it makes sense this would be a safe and effective option for those who can’t or simply don’t want to undergo lung resections. The MSKCC experience of 13 patients receiving definitive radiation for 15 primary BALT lymphoma lesions reports a 100% response rate and 18% rate of progression (none local) at 6 years. Complete responses were achieved in 6/10 lesions receiving low-dose (4-6 Gy) radiation and 4/5 receiving higher dose (24-36 Gy). | Freret, Leukemia & Lymphoma 2023
