{"entity":{"id":"radiation-pneumonitis","kind":"term","name":"Radiation pneumonitis and lung fibrosis","aka":[],"tldr":"Inflammation of the lung one to six months after chest radiotherapy, causing cough, breathlessness and fever; usually settles with steroids but can leave permanent scarring.","summary":"Radiation pneumonitis follows treatment of lung, oesophageal, breast and lymphoma targets and depends on the volume of lung receiving moderate doses (the V20 and mean lung dose constraints exist to limit it), on chemotherapy and immunotherapy given alongside, and on pre-existing lung disease. Symptomatic pneumonitis is treated with a tapering course of corticosteroids; the late phase is fibrosis of the treated lung, which is permanent. Immunotherapy after chemoradiation (PACIFIC) raised pneumonitis rates and is now a routine consideration.","asOf":"2026-09-17","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_pneumonitis","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_pneumonitis"},{"label":"Cancer Research UK: coping with breathlessness when you have lung cancer","url":"https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/lung-cancer/living-with/coping-with-breathlessness"},{"label":"NICE NG122: lung cancer, management","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122/chapter/Management"},{"label":"Macmillan: durvalumab (Imfinzi)","url":"https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatments-and-drugs/durvalumab"}],"tags":["radiation-wave1"],"related":[],"cancers":["nsclc","sclc","esophageal","lung-cancer"],"sections":[],"technologies":["radioprotectors","imrt-igrt","proton-therapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["Lung cancer: Cancer Research UK says radiotherapy to the chest area might cause some inflammation of the lungs, that soon after treatment you might have a dry cough or shortness of breath (acute radiation pneumonitis), and that in a small number of people a cough and breathlessness continue because of chronic radiation pneumonitis, which might start many months or a few years after treatment. Because immunotherapy given after chemoradiotherapy can cause lung inflammation too, the same symptoms are reported the same way: Macmillan says to contact the hospital straight away on the 24-hour number for breathlessness, a cough that does not go away, wheezing, or a fever with a temperature over 37.5 C."],"category":"Side effects"},"route":"/terms/radiation-pneumonitis/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"limited-stage-sclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Limited-stage small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/limited-stage-sclc/"},{"id":"lung-cancer","kind":"cancer","name":"Lung cancer (all types)","route":"/cancers/lung-cancer/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"},{"id":"esophageal","kind":"cancer","name":"Oesophageal cancer","route":"/cancers/esophageal/"},{"id":"sclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/sclc/"},{"id":"stage-iii-unresectable-nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/stage-iii-unresectable-nsclc/"}],"technology":[{"id":"imrt-igrt","kind":"technology","name":"IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam)","route":"/technologies/imrt-igrt/"},{"id":"proton-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Proton therapy","route":"/technologies/proton-therapy/"},{"id":"radioprotectors","kind":"technology","name":"Radioprotectors and normal-tissue sparing drugs","route":"/technologies/radioprotectors/"}],"term":[{"id":"pneumonitis","kind":"term","name":"Pneumonitis","route":"/terms/pneumonitis/"}],"trial":[{"id":"ma-20","kind":"trial","name":"NCIC MA.20","route":"/trials/ma-20/"}]}}