title: [Normal tissue tolerance to external beam radiation therapy: esophagus].
abstract: The esophagus is a musculo-membranous tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. Due to its anatomical location, it can be exposed to ionizing radiation in many external radiotherapy indications. Radiation-induced esophageal mucositis is clinically revealed by dysphagia and odynophagia, and usually begins 3 to 4 weeks after the start of radiation treatment. With the rise of multimodality treatments (e.g., concurrent chemoradiotherapy, dose escalation and accelerated fractionation schemes), esophageal toxicity has become a significant dose-limiting issue. Understanding the predictive factors of esophageal injury may improve the optimal delivery of treatment plans. It may help to minimize the risks, hence increasing the therapeutic ratio. Based on a large literature review, our study describes both early and late radiation-induced esophageal injuries and highlights some of the predictive factors for cervical and thoracic esophagus toxicity. These clinical and dosimetric parameters are numerous but none is consensual. The large number of dosimetric parameters strengthens the need of an overall analysis of the dose/volume histograms. The data provided is insufficient to recommend their routine use to prevent radiation-induced esophagitis. Defining guidelines for the tolerance of the esophagus to ionizing radiation remains essential for a safe and efficient treatment.
authors.affiliation: Clinique d'Oncologie-Radiothérapie, Centre Henry-S-Kaplan, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHU de Tours, 2 boulevard Tonnelé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France. beragu@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bera
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pointreau
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Orain
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dupuis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Créhange
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011336:Probability; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012038:Regeneration / Q000528:radiation effects; D012449:Safety; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D016593:Terfenadine
chemical_list: D016593:Terfenadine