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Clinical characteristics and outcome of pneumothorax after stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung tumors

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Abstract

Backgound

We retrospectively investigated the clinical characteristics and outcome of pneumothorax after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung tumors.

Methods

Between April 2003 and July 2012, 473 patients with lung tumors were treated with SBRT. We identified 12 patients (2.5 %) with pneumothorax caused by SBRT, and evaluated the clinical features of pneumothorax.

Results

All of the tumors were primary lung cancers. The severity of radiation pneumonitis was grade 1 in 10 patients and grade 2 in two patients. Nine patients had emphysema. The planning target volume and pleura overlapped in 11 patients, and the tumors were attached to the pleura in 7 patients. Rib fractures were observed in three patients before or at the same time as the diagnosis of pneumothorax. The median time to onset of pneumothorax after SBRT was 18.5 months (4–84 months). The severity of pneumothorax was grade 1 in 11 patients and grade 3 in one patient.

Conclusion

Although pneumothorax was a relatively rare late adverse effect after SBRT, some patients demonstrated pneumothorax after SBRT for peripheral lung tumors. Although most pneumothorax was generally tolerable and self-limiting, careful follow-up is needed.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan (no. 26670563, 25461917, 26461894, and 24591842).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Kaori Asai, Katsumasa Nakamura, Tomonari Sasaki, Yoshio Matsuo, Saiji Ohga, Kotaro Terashima, Keiji Matsumoto, Hidenari Hirata & Hiroshi Honda

  2. Ion Beam Therapy Center, SAGA-HIMAT Foundation, Saga, Japan

    Yoshiyuki Shioyama & Makoto Shinoto

  3. Faculty of Medical Sciences Department of Comprehensive Clinical Oncology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Tadamasa Yoshitake

Authors
  1. Kaori Asai
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  2. Katsumasa Nakamura
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  3. Yoshiyuki Shioyama
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  4. Tomonari Sasaki
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  5. Yoshio Matsuo
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  6. Saiji Ohga
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  7. Tadamasa Yoshitake
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  8. Kotaro Terashima
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  9. Makoto Shinoto
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  10. Keiji Matsumoto
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  11. Hidenari Hirata
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  12. Hiroshi Honda
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katsumasa Nakamura.

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Asai, K., Nakamura, K., Shioyama, Y. et al. Clinical characteristics and outcome of pneumothorax after stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung tumors. Int J Clin Oncol 20, 1117–1121 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-015-0833-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-015-0833-4

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