Long-term effects of radiation therapy in outpatient practice

Moscow multidisciplinary clinical center «Kommunarka», Moscow, Russia SUMMARY Radiation therapy is one of the main methods of treating malignant neoplasms. Along with high efficiency, radiation therapy leads to complications in the early and late period. General practitioners and therapists are insufficiently familiar with long-term radiation-induced complications. The article presents data on the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of radiation lesions of the bone system, lungs, myocardium, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, hematopoiesis system, as well as chronic pain syndrome. The symptoms of late complications of radiation therapy are nonspecific and similar to the symptoms of somatic diseases. Knowledge of the clinical manifestations of radiation-induced complications in the long term allows timely diagnosis and treatment.