Late complications of radiation therapy for patients with malignant lymphoma

The improvement on the treatment of malignant lymphoma have led to prolonged survival for many patients. However, they are at risk of late complications of the disease and treatment. Impaired function due to radiation-induced injury of normal tissues, such as cardiac, pulmonary, or thyroid dysfunction, becoming manifest at few months to years after treatment. Fortunately, only a small portion of these are major complications, causing severe, or permanent disability. The frequency of secondary leukemia (AML) occurring in patients treated for malignant lymphoma is highest in those patients receiving many courses of combination chemotherapy and is low in those receiving radiation therapy alone. (author) 47 refs