Do We Have the Real Tools to Evaluate Lung Radiotoxicity

摘要: Lung cancer remains a devastating disease. In many situations, radiation therapy represents chance of cure. However, due to the high radiosensitivity lung, it is often not possible achieve tumoricidal dose in lung patients. addition, patients who are cured by radiotherapy, quality life may be compromised an impaired respiratory function. Radiation-induced pulmonary symptoms occur up approximately 20% irradiated for breast cancer, lymphoma and thymoma (MARKS 1997b). Subclinical changes whole-lung function, manifested asymptomatic reductions quantitative function tests, seen larger fraction For individual patient, there presently no good means predicting probability developing symptoms, nor severity injury induced therapy, alone or combined with chemotherapy, which becoming standard treatment some situations (PECKHAM COLLIS 1981; SCHAAKE-KONING et al. 1992).