Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology, 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctro.2022.09.009 · Published: January 1, 2023
Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is a rare condition where blood cell production occurs outside the bone marrow, sometimes leading to spinal cord compression. A 70-year-old man with polycythemia vera (PV) developed spinal cord compression due to EMH and was successfully treated with radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was used to treat a volume from T1 to S2 with a dose of 18 Gy in 10 sessions of 1.8 Gy, leading to the patient's recovery of motor and sensory functions.
Radiotherapy can be considered as an effective treatment for spinal cord compression caused by extramedullary hematopoiesis in polycythemia vera patients.
Radiotherapy can lead to significant improvement in motor and sensory functions in patients with EMH-induced spinal cord compression.
Radiotherapy alone may be an alternative to surgical decompression in certain cases of spinal cord compression due to EMH.