Effect of glucocorticosteroids in the treatment of radiation injuries after radiation therapy of malignant neoplasms. Review

The radiation therapy for malignant tumors complication is the development of radiation-induced injuries. It is a complex inflammatory process that affects the patients quality of life and requires drug correction. To date, the solution to this problem lies in a multimodal approach. It is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs of various pharmacological groups. The purpose of this work is to present the features of the inflammation development in irradiated tissues, the methods inhibiting the processes, and the use of glucocorticosteroids (GCS) as powerful anti-inflammatory agents in the complex treatment. The drugs of the pharmacological group for topical and systemic use, examples of their dosage and the approach to the duration of the treatment course are presented. The most common side effects of GCS in clinical practice and methods of overcoming them are considered. According to the available results, with the help of GCS, analgesic, decongestant, dilating, antifibrotic effects of treatment of local radiation injuries of various sites have been achieved. Due to the use of theoretical data and the gained own clinical experience, we are able to conclude that it is necessary to use GCS in treatment regimens for local drugs, which allows us to achieve a positive result and improve the quality of life of patients.