[Pulmonary complications after radiotherapy in lung cancer]

The appearance of the pulmonary injury after irradiation using 60Co-gamma-ray was investigated for 574 cases with carcinoma of the lung. In 437 patients these (76.2% of the total cases) radiation pneumonitis was seen, and the late radiation fibrosis was observed in 197 cases (29.1%). In cases which more than 50 Gy was irradiated for the treatment of more than 75 cm2, the frequency and the grade of pulmonary complications increased rapidly.