Significance of unilateral radiation nephropathy

Thirteen patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with residual disease in the abdomen were treated by irradiation to the whole abdomen and left upper quadrant. The entire or half of the left kidney received between 2550 rad in 6 weeks and 4900 rad in 5 weeks. Seven of 12 patients evaluated showed functional and/or morphological changes in the left kidney on renal function studies and renal scan at various intervals. None of these patients clinically demonstrated overt acute radiation nephropathy. Three patients developed elevated blood pressure; the plasma renin level was markedly elevated in one of these patients. With the possible exception of one patient, no patient was discovered to have any functional morphological changes in the right kidney. The lymphoma in the abdomen was under control in 12 out of 13 patients treated at this writing