Bowel injury associated with pelvic radiotherapy

Radiation therapists have to deal with the difficulty to give an efficient radiation dose to the tumor without generating unacceptable normal tissue injury. Acute reactions are experienced in most of the patients and are characterized by diarrhea resulting from intestinal mucosal injury. In some cases, intestinal wall fibrosis may develop, with hazard of occlusion syndrome. The only therapeutic recourse consists of surgical resection of the injured bowel.