SEQUELAE OF RADICAL RADIOTHERAPY OF CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG.

Although radiotherapy offers adequate palliation of symptoms in inoperable carcinoma of the lung, the overall cure rates have been disappointing (1–4). A recent study reported a high incidence of severe complications in long-term survivors of treatment (5). We were interested in the frequency of complications, both acute and late, in our patients following radical radiotherapy. This is of major importance because of the reports of Bleodorn et al. (6–8) and other workers (9, 10) concerning the possible advantage of combined radiotherapy and surgery in the management of carcinoma of the lung. If this combination therapy increases the survival rate of patients with carcinoma of the lung, more who receive radical radiotherapy will be exposed to long-term complications. Included also in this report are survival data of all patients and our preliminary observations on patients given radiation followed by surgery. Methods All 132 persons treated in our institution (Grace-New Haven Community Hospital) for primary...