Complications after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer

Complications after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer my country is a country with a high incidence of esophageal cancer. At present, in addition to surgery, some patients who cannot be treated by surgery will consider radiotherapy. Traditional radiotherapy can cause complications in patients. What are the common complications of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer?

1. Radiation esophagitis:

If the radiotherapy dose reaches 2000cGy, patients with esophageal cancer may experience dysphagia, pain when swallowing, and pain behind the chest.

2. Radiation tracheitis:

When the trachea is exposed to a radiation dose of 2000 cGy, tracheal inflammatory reactions will occur, causing coughs, which are mostly dry coughs without sputum.

3. Esophageal perforation, esophageal fistula and massive bleeding:

This is mainly caused by the invasion of cancer into surrounding organs or blood vessels. After radiotherapy, the tumor has regressed significantly, and the occurrence of this more serious complication is inevitable, but it is not caused by excessive radiotherapy doses. Most esophageal bleeding is sudden and fatal.

4. Radiation-induced rib injury:

The irradiation range of the posterior oblique field includes the ribs. The bone absorption of radiation can cause radiation-induced rib fractures, most of which are fractures of several ribs at the same time or at different times.

5. Radiation myelitis:

The incidence of radiation myelitis is 0.8 to 3.5 percent. To avoid this complication, the dose to the spinal cord should be strictly controlled within the tolerance dose.

6. Radiation-induced esophageal stricture:

After radiotherapy, the tumor lesions disappear, but due to scar formation, the esophageal lumen becomes narrow and the wall becomes stiff within the original lesion and within the range of radiation exposure, thus affecting eating and drinking. The occurrence of radiation-induced esophageal stenosis is often related to the degree of esophageal cancer infiltration before radiotherapy.

Although there are many side effects of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer, if the patient is sensitive to radiotherapy and the common site of esophageal cancer is relatively special, radiotherapy for esophageal cancer is still effective. There are many ways to treat esophageal cancer with radiotherapy. In addition to traditional ordinary radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy (gamma knife, CyberKnife) is also widely used. Riptide radiotherapy developed in the past one or two years also has a certain therapeutic effect on patients with advanced esophageal cancer. Complications after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer can be alleviated or avoided, which is related to the treatment plan determined by the radiation dose expert.