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Review
. 2020 Sep 10;15(1):214.
doi: 10.1186/s13014-020-01654-9.

Radiation-induced lung toxicity - cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, management, and literature review

Lukas Käsmann  1   2   3 , Alexander Dietrich  4 , Claudia A Staab-Weijnitz  5   6 , Farkhad Manapov  7   5   8 , Jürgen Behr  5   9 , Andreas Rimner  10 , Branislav Jeremic  11 , Suresh Senan  12 , Dirk De Ruysscher  13 , Kirsten Lauber  7   8 , Claus Belka  7   5   8
Affiliations
Review

Radiation-induced lung toxicity - cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, management, and literature review

Lukas Käsmann et al. Radiat Oncol. .

Abstract

Lung, breast, and esophageal cancer represent three common malignancies with high incidence and mortality worldwide. The management of these tumors critically relies on radiotherapy as a major part of multi-modality care, and treatment-related toxicities, such as radiation-induced pneumonitis and/or lung fibrosis, are important dose limiting factors with direct impact on patient outcomes and quality of life. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of radiation-induced pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis, present predictive factors as well as recent diagnostic and therapeutic advances. Novel candidates for molecularly targeted approaches to prevent and/or treat radiation-induced pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis are discussed.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that competing interests do not exist.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overview about radiation-induced acute and subacute alveolar changes. AT I cell: alveolar type I cell; AT II cell: alveolar type II cell; DAMP: damage-associated molecular pattern; TGF-β: transforming growth factor β
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overview about radiation-induced late alveolar changes. AT I cell: alveolar type I cell; AT II cell: alveolar type II cell; ECM: extracellular matrix; TGF-β: transforming growth factor β
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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