[Radiation late damage of the thoracic marrow after irradiation in the thoracic region (author's transl)].

A report is given about radiation late damage on the thoracic marrow, basing on the case histories of 100 patients irradiated in the mediastinal region with telegamma from a 60 Cobalt or 137 Caesium source between 1959, January 1st and 1972, december 31st. 77 patients were followed up during 18 months after the radiotherapy was ended; in 3 of them (equal to 4 p.c.) a radiation-induced myelopathy was found. These 3 cases were suffering from Hodgkin's disease, whereas in none of the patients with bronchial carcinoma--in spite of markedly higher radiation doses--any late damage was observed. Therefore, in irradiation of the mediastinal region, the exposure of the spinal marrow should be reduced, although the dose alone is not decisive for the development of a radiation myelopathy.