[Arteropathy as late-onset complication of radiotherapy for malignant tumor]

Such late-onset complications of radiotherapy as stenosis and occlusion of major arteries within fields of irradiation, designated in this paper as "post-radiation arteropathy", have not received sufficient scrutiny. The study group of 50 patients (1964-2003) included 35 females and 15 males, aged 33-77, (mean age--59 years). Total focal dose ranged 24-74.8 Gy (mean dose--48.9 Gy) per vascular bunch projection. Signs of ischemia were detected in the catchment area of irradiated artery after 8-360 months (average 90.6 months). Palliative treatment was given to 29 patients while 21 were operated on. Certain morphological features atypical of atherosclerosis were identified. Despite some negative factors, the results were not inferior to those of therapy for atherosclerosis. The hazard of stenotic effect of irradiation of major arteries in area of exposure should be perfectly clear to radiologists, oncologists and vascular surgeons.