Case report: Chest radiotherapy-induced vertebral fractures in lung cancer patients: a case series and literature review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As survival rates for lung cancer (LC) patients continue to rise, the adverse impacts of therapies become more relevant. Radiotherapy is known to negatively affect bone health. However, radiotherapy-induced vertebral fractures in lung cancer patients remain an exceedingly rare and underrecognized condition that could be mistaken for bone metastasis.

Case presentation

We identified three LC patients (all long-term survivors), aged 67 to 81, who developed thoracic vertebral fractures post-chest radiotherapy, within irradiated fields; two had advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and one had extensive small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Baseline imaging confirmed that the fractures occurred after therapy. The median time from radiotherapy to fracture onset was 19 mo

SUBMITTER: Arrieta O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11830587 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature