Contemporary approaches to the therapy of radiation-induced pulmonary impairments
Bulgarian Medical Journal, 2023, 17(4), 14-21.
V. Zahariev1, N. Hristov2
1 Department of Preventive Medicine,
2 Department of Social Medicine, Medical University – Sofia
Abstract. Radiation-induced pulmonary injury usually results from radiotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx, breast cancer, esophageal and mediastinal lymphoma, and cases of radiation accidents or radiological terrorism. Such cases pose a serious challenge for clinicians, given the difficulties of their diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this publication is to improve the prognosis for this group of patients by providing summary information on current trends in prevention and treatment. The currently used radioprotective and therapeutic agents are presented, with special attention paid to new possibilities for prevention and treatment related to the progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms in the development of radiation-induced pulmonary injury.
Key words: radiation-induced pulmonary injury, radiotherapy, non-small cell lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
Address for correspondence: Prof. V. Zahariev, MD, PhD, Medical University – Sofia, Department of Preventive Medicine, University Hospital “Tsaritsa Ioanna”, 1527 Sofia, 8, Byalo more Str., tel: 02 94 32 252,
е-mail: vilislavchev@abv.bg