Utility of SPECT lung perfusion scans in assessing the early changes in pulmonary function after radiotherapy for patients with lung cancer

Abstract

Objective Radiation-induced lung injury commonly follows radiotherapy (RT) for tumors within and near the thorax. Lung function is usually measured by pulmonary function tests (PFTs). But RT-induced regional changes of pulmonary function cannot be accurately evaluated by PFTs. Lung perfusion scintigraphy compared with other radiographic methods can assess well regional pulmonary physiological function, and a 3-dimensional conformai radiotherapy planning system can quantitatively calculate irradiation dosage. The purpose of this study is to assess, by lung perfusion scintigraphy, early changes in the pulmonary function of patients with lung cancer when receiving thoracic 3-dimensional conformaL radiotherapy (3D-CRT).