Spectrum of Imaging Patterns of Lung Cancer following Radiation Therapy
Taylor A. Strange, Lauren T. Erasmus, Jitesh Ahuja, Rishi Agrawal, Girish S. Shroff, Mylene T. Truong, Chad D. Strange
Abstract
Radiation therapy using conventional or newer high-precision dose techniques, including three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, four-dimensional conformational radiotherapy, and proton therapy, is an important component of treating patients with lung cancer. Knowledge of the radiation technique used and the expected temporal evolution of radiation-induced lung injury, as well as patient-specific parameters such as previous radiotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, or immunotherapy, is important in image interpretation. This review discusses factors that affect the development and severity of radiation-induced lung injury and its radiological manifestations, as well as the differences between conventional and high-precision dose radiotherapy techniques.