Radiation Oncology: Modern Review of Treatment Toxicity

Abstract

Radiation therapy has undergone an extraordinary transformation in treatment technology. Daily patient care is vastly different today than the past with less normal tissue in the treatment field and fewer acute sequelae during and immediately post therapy. It is anticipated that modern therapy will decrease acute effects during treatment. Modern primary care physicians and internal medicine/emergency physicians will encounter more patients in their practice who are survivors of therapy. In this paper we review current expectations for clinical sequelae of management and strategies to both identify and manage treatment effects moving forward including what is needed in the medical record for evaluation of late effects.