Rectal injuries following radiation therapy for cervical cancer

Injuries of the rectal wall were examined up to 327 days in patients with uterus cancers after radiation therapy with 60Co gamma-rays. Various types of morphological changes were observed at the end of the therapy and the changes could be seen even 327 days after therapy with doses of 3,240-6,040 rad. The percentage of goblet cells in the rectal wall fluctuated for about 50 days after therapy and then became stable, but was slightly less than pre-irradiation level. The changes in the percentage seemed to represent radiation damages to the epithelial cells in the wall. The late effects in the blood vessels were probably more important than damages to the epithelial cells in the wall.