Radiation-Induced Pain Syndromes

Radiation-induced pain syndromes are an unfortunate consequence of radiation therapy administered during the treatment of various malignancies. It often manifests several months to years after completion of radiotherapy, with the diagnosis complicated by concern for local cancer recurrence. Pain syndromes due to radiation can be characterized based on anatomic location and specific tissues affected. Several radiation-induced pain syndromes have been described along with proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of injury. Common risk factors include total radiation dose, fractionation schedule, and radiation field size.