Definition:
Radiation pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lungs that can occur as a side effect of radiation therapy to the chest.
With lung cancer, 5 to 15% of people who receive radiation therapy develop radiation pneumonitis. Symptoms can include a cough, chest pain that worsens with breathing, or shortness of breath, especially with exercise. Radiation pneumonitis usually resolves with treatment; if it persists, it can lead to pulmonary fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs.
Examples:
Jan was feeling short of breath a few months after finishing radiation therapy, and her doctor diagnosed her with radiation pneumonitis after doing a chest x-ray.
