Tissue Damage by Radiation

Generally, the skin may be attacked on radiation injury as a gateway to most forms of radiation. Radiation Erythema respectively, which begin in two to three days and peaks at two to three weeks, usually observed in somente radiotherapy for cancer patients. Then hyperpigmentation or depigmentation may appear irregular, hyperkeratosis, hair removal, dermal and subcutaneous fibrosis and telangiectases. When a serious attack of radiation skin ulcers can occur, even five years after application. A more serious effect of the radiation on the skin is the appearance of epidermoid cancer, in some cases years after the exposure.

Hemopoietic and lymphoid system, by having cells that divide rapidly, are very susceptible to radiation damage, which can lead to significant lymphopenia in terms of hours, followed by one or two days of contractions of the lymph nodes and spleen. Granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred only until the end of the first week. All of these changes are reversible if the patient survives and if not destroyed primitive progenitor cells.  

Germ cells of women and men are very radiosensitive and sterility may be residual effects from radiation injury. However, the radiation dose is identical opportunities are more likely to cause infertility in women than in men. Progressive cell susceptibility in humans, in order of frequency of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa. In women are more susceptible follicles granulosa cells and germ cells.  

Lungs, because the blood vessels are abundant, highly susceptible to radiation damage, for example, in the radiotherapy of breast cancer in women. Most of the initial injury associated with endothelial cell injury, which can be destroyed and serious esfacelan after exposure, followed by septal capillary thrombosis. In less severe lesions by radiation, may occur only sublethal endothelial cell injury, but, however, may come intracapillary thrombosis. Thus, fibrosis and loss of capillary blood vessels is a common late sequelae of radiation exposure.  

Mucosal epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract is highly radiosensitive severe damage and sometimes have stomach cancer during radiotherapy. Early changes range from swelling and vacuolation of the cells of the intestinal mucosa hyperemia accompanied by several submucosal vessels until complete necrosis and ulceration of the mucosa. Then atrophy and fibrosis may cause mucosal, including interstitial fibrosis musuclar tunic.