Radiation therapy has been established historically as the mainstay of therapy of malignant lymphomas, particularly Hodgkin lymphoma. Subsequently, the invention of PET/CT scan both in diagnosis and radiotherapy planning has become the standard imaging tool in lymphomas with 18F-FDG (fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose) accumulation.
Other special radiotherapy techniques e.g. DIBH (deep inspiration breath hold), IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) or VMAT (volume modulated arc treatment) are being currently used for their better conformity and lower risk of toxicity.
The goal of contemporary research concerning the modern radiotherapy techniques in treatment of malignant lymphomas is therefore focused on reduction of dose delivered to organs at risk (OARs) while maintaining the ideal conformity in irradiated target volumes.