[Treatment of radiation pneumonitis with curative intent--a review]

Therapeutic assays with medicaments intended for the healing of radiopneumonitis have a long tradition. Numerous medicaments have been assayed in men and animals during the last thirty years without having reached any lasting positive results. In the end, the fibrotic stage of this radiogenic side effect has always been refractory. It was, however, possible with some medicaments to relieve the symptoms of the early exudative phase. This study is supposed to give a general survey of the present state of knowledge in this field.