Research progress in radiation-induced lung injury

Abstract

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a severe complication which commonly occurs after radiotherapy in patients diagnosed with thoracic cancer patients. RILI includes acute radiation-induced pneumonitis and fibrosis. RILI not only limits the radiotherapy dose, but also affects subsequent clinical efficacy and quality of life of patients. The mechanism underlying RILI has been mainly investigated in animal models. Multiple cells, cytokines and molecules participate in the regulation of immune response, eventually leading to the incidence of RILI. No guidelines or standards have been established for the treatment of RILI, which primarily depend upon clinical experience and professional recommendations. In this article, recent RILI-related studies have been summarized to unravel the pathophysiological changes, clinical symptoms, imaging findings, clinical diagnosis and treatment of RILI. Key words: Radiation-induced lung injury; Mechanism; Thoracic neoplasm/radiotherapy