Radiation-induced lung injury | |
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Radiation pneumonitis | |
Specialty | Pulmonology |
Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a general term for damage to the lungs as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation.[1] In general terms, such damage is divided into early inflammatory damage (radiation pneumonitis) and later complications of chronic scarring (radiation fibrosis). Pulmonary radiation injury most commonly occurs as a result of radiation therapy administered to treat cancer.[citation needed]