Risks of radiation therapy for children and adolescents. Review

Since the 1950s of the 20th century, radiation therapy has been actively used in the treatment of pediatric tumors. With the accumulation of clinical observations, it became clear that with high immediate efficacy of the method, its long-term results can be offset by the development of distant consequences. As it turned out, the probability of development of severe and even disabling consequences depends on the age of the child at the time of treatment, the values of single and total doses, the amount of irradiation. With the development of technical means of radiation therapy, creation of new antitumor drugs, it became possible in a number of situations to refuse the use of radiation therapy, to reduce doses and volumes of irradiation, but it is not always possible to completely exclude radiation effects on critical structures. Therefore, it was expedient to analyze the information available in the literature on the possible consequences of radiation exposure on various organs and systems in children. Knowledge of these risks should allow physicians treating and dynamically monitoring children receiving radiation therapy to prevent and timely detect the development of possible radiation damage.