Radiation injury of the lung after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer: a timeline and pattern of CT changes.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a new radiotherapy treatment method that has been applied to the treatment of Stage I lung cancers in medically inoperable patients, with excellent clinical results. SBRT allows the delivery of a very high radiation dose to the target volume, while minimizing the dose to the adjacent normal tissues. As a consequence, CT findings after SBRT have different appearance, geographic extent and progression timeline compared to those following conventional radiation therapy for lung cancer. In particular, SBRT-induced changes are limited to the "shell" of normal tissue outside the tumor and have a complex shape. When SBRT-induced CT changes have a consolidation/mass-like appearance, the differentiation from tumor recurrence can be very difficult. An understanding of SBRT technique as it relates to the development of SBRT-induced lung injury and familiarity with the full spectrum of CT manifestations are important to facilitate diagnosis and management of lung cancer patients treated with this newly emerging radiotherapy method.
Linda
Anna
A
Institute of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Santa Maria della Misericordia, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Trovo
Marco
M
Bradley
Jeffrey D
JD
D005355:Fibrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D017564:Radiation Pneumonitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D016634:Radiosurgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*