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Cancer is recognized as a public health problem affecting children, adults, and the elderly. Overall, 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths were due to cancer in 20121. In Mexico, cancer is the second cause of death. The most frequent cancer tumors in men are prostate, lung, and stomach; in women, the most frequent are breast, uterine cervix, and liver2. The aim of cancer treatment is to cure the disease or considerably prolong survival while maintaining the patient’s quality of life. Treatment involves three main approaches: surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, and these may be combined according to each patient’s requirements. Radiation therapy is used in at least 50% of cancer patients and plays a critical role in 25% of cancer cures. In developing countries, an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 patients yearly are treated with radiotherapy in its different modalities, such as sequential radiotherapy and chemotherapy, concomitant with chemotherapy or radiotherapy alone3,4. However, normal tissue radiation toxicity remains the most overwhelming obstacle to cancer cure in patients with localized disease, particularly in the abdominopelvic region. During radiation therapy of tumors within the abdomen or pelvis, the intestine is an important normal tissue at risk of injury. In addition to epithelial injury, the intestinal microvasculature, immune mechanisms, neuroimmune interactions, the intestinal microbiome, the composition of the intraluminal contents, and other factors play significant roles for the development of radiation-induced intestinal toxicity.

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2018-08-24   |   305 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 70 Núm.3. Mayo-Junio 2018 Pags. 109-111 Rev Invest Clin 2018; 70(3)