Radiation-induced pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis: A report of two cases.
Hye Sook ChoiPublished in: Thoracic cancer (2022)
Radiation therapy can cause radiation pneumonitis, organizing pneumonia, and lung fibrosis. Radiation-induced pseudomembranous bronchitis is a rare condition. Here, we describe a rare case each of pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis and pseudomembrane with total bronchial obstruction which developed after thoracic radiotherapy. A 50-year-old man presented paroxysmal severe cough 1 month after concurrent chemoradiotherapy for small-cell lung cancer. Bronchoscopy revealed a whitish membrane in the trachea and bronchus, which were the fields of radiation. Another 60-year-old man complained of dyspnea 7 months after radiation therapy for metastatic lymph node adenocarcinoma. Bronchoscopy demonstrated a membrane with total obstruction of right lower lobar bronchus, which was the area of radiation. The pathological findings of histological examination in both cases demonstrated radiation-induced pseudomembranous tracheobronchitis. Patients in both cases responded well to steroids and the pseudomembrane disappeared. If patients who have received thoracic radiation therapy complain of persistent cough, bronchoscopy may be helpful.
Keyphrases
- radiation induced
- radiation therapy
- locally advanced
- small cell lung cancer
- end stage renal disease
- lymph node
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- rare case
- squamous cell carcinoma
- peritoneal dialysis
- neoadjuvant chemotherapy
- spinal cord
- rheumatoid arthritis
- early stage
- patient reported outcomes
- early onset
- interstitial lung disease
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation