Clinical peculiarities of the course of early and late postchemioradiation pulmonary lesions in patients with breast cancer

The paper features the investigation of pulmonary complications after chemoradiation therapy in patients with breast cancer. It was found that respiratory system lesions developed in 76.7 % of patients. Early lesions, mainly bronchitis and pulmonitis, developed 3 months after the beginning of treatment in 63.4 % of patients, were accompanied by dyspnea, cough, inflammatory phenomena, reduction of oxygen saturation and external respiratory parameters. After 6 months inflammatory phenomena subsided, the function of breathing restored. After 12 months SCT demonstrated pneumosclerosis and fibrosis in 33 % of patients, they were accompanied by a significant reduction of external respiration (forced capacity, maximum lung ventilation, peak expiratory volumetric rate and oxygen saturation) and secondary inflammation. Clinical manifestations of late postchemoradiation complications do not always correspond to x-ray images; therefore SCT plays an important role in early diagnosis of pneumosclerosis and pneumofibrosis.