TriangleFOR PATIENTS · SOURCE READING
Certain types of chemotherapy and radiation to the lungs increase the risk of lung late effects.
Source: Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: February 12, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
The risk of health problems that affect the lungs increases after treatment with:
surgery to remove all or part of the lung or chest wall
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chemotherapy, such as bleomycin, busulfan, carmustine, or lomustine
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total-body irradiation or high-dose chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant
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radiation therapy to the chest
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In survivors who had radiation to the chest, the damage to the lungs and chest wall depends on the radiation dose, whether all or part of the lungs and chest wall received radiation, whether the radiation was given in small, divided daily doses, and the child's age at treatment.
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The risk of lung late effects is greater in childhood cancer survivors who are treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. The risk is also increased in survivors who have a history of:
infections or graft-versus-host disease after a stem cell transplant
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lung or airway disease, such as asthma, before cancer treatment
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an abnormal chest wall
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smoking cigarettes or other substances
Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice