The Clinical Research On Acute Radiation-induced Esophagitis

Objective To inquire clinical characteristic, endoscopic findings, pathological changes and evaluation of esophagitis induced by radiation therapy for cancers in the thorax, and provide the basis for the diagnosis. Methods The patients who accord with the qualification had been studied. Various evaluations in the acute esophagitis were adopted. The relations were analyzed among clinical symptom, accumulated dose, endoscopic findings of esophagus, pathological changes and the rate of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei with lymphoid blood. Results From January 2003 to October 2004, 66 patients with lung cancer and esophageal cancer were studied in our department. The typical symptom happened in 2 ~ 3 weeks included moderate dysphagia or odynophagia and requiring narcotic analgesics, the accumulated dose was about 20~30 Gy. Endoscopic findings of esophagus were mucosa with erosion or sloughing, pathological changes of esophagus were the intrusion of inflammationcal cell in squamous epithelium, disintegration of basic layer, deeply stained, necrosis of cells. The grade>2 acute esophagitis using RTOG criteria was observed 21.2% in group, and the grade 3 is 3.0%. The grade 2 and 3 acute esophagitis using Kuwaht's criteria was observed 38.5% in group. The average of esophageal index was 12.6 in group. The rate of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei with lymphoid blood is 3.2%o and 2.8%e in group, respectively. Conclusion The diagnosis of acute esophagitis should include...