Affiliation
Department of Medical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M204BX, United KingdomIssue Date
2019
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Radiotherapy is used in >50% of patients with cancer, both for curative and palliative purposes. Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation to target and kill tumour tissue, but normal tissue can also be damaged, leading to toxicity. Modern and precise radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, may prevent toxicity, but some patients still experience adverse effects. The physiopathology of toxicity is dependent on many parameters, such as the location of irradiation or the functional status of organs at risk. Knowledge of the mechanisms leads to a more rational approach for controlling radiotherapy toxicity, which may result in improved symptom control and quality of life for patients. This improved quality of life is particularly important in paediatric patients, who may live for many years with the long-term effects of radiotherapy. Notably, signs and symptoms occurring after radiotherapy may not be due to the treatment but to an exacerbation of existing conditions or to the development of new diseases. Although differential diagnosis may be difficult, it has important consequences for patients.Citation
De Ruysscher D, Niedermann G, Burnet N, Siva S, Lee A, Hegi-Johnson F. Radiotherapy toxicity. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2019;5(1):13.Journal
Nature Reviews Disease PrimersDOI
10.1038/s41572-019-0064-5PubMed ID
30792503Additional Links
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0064-5Type
ArticleLanguage
enae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/s41572-019-0064-5
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