Lymphopenia after palliative radiotherapy for vertebral metastases

Lymphopenia is a well-known side effect of radiotherapy and has been shown to have a negative impact on patient outcomes. However, the extent of lymphopenia caused by palliative radiotherapy and its effect on patient prognosis has not been clarified. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and severity of lymphopenia after palliative radiotherapy for vertebral metastases and to determine their effects on patients' survival outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis for patients who underwent palliative radiotherapy for vertebral metastases and could be followed up for 12 weeks. Lymphocyte counts were documented at baseline and throughout the 12-week period following the start of radiotherapy and their medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) were recorded. Exploratory analyses were performed to identify predictive factors for lymphopenia and its impact on overall survival (OS). A total of 282 cases that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The median baseline lymphocyte count was 1.26 × 103/μl (IQR: 0.89-1.72 × 103/μl). Peak lymphopenia occurred at a median of 26 days (IQR: 15-45 days) with a median nadir of 0.52 × 103/μl (IQR: 0.31-0.81 × 103/μl). Long-term analysis of patients surviving for 1 year showed that lymphopenia persisted at 1 year after radiotherapy. The main irradiation site, radiation field length and pretreatment lymphocyte count were significantly related to grade 3 or higher lymphopenia. Lymphopenia was identified as a significant predictor of OS by multivariate Cox regression analysis. This study demonstrated the incidence of lymphopenia after palliative radiotherapy for vertebral metastases and its effect on patients' OS.