Risk factor analysis of the development of severe radiation pneumonitis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with curative radiotherapy, with focus on underlying pulmonary disease

Abstract Background We aim to identify the multifaceted risk factors that can affect the development of severe radiation pneumonitis (RP) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with curative high-dose radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 175 patients with stage-I-III NSCLC treated with curative thoracic X-ray radiotherapy at the Korea University Guro Hospital between June 2019 and June 2022. Treatment-related complications were evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.03). Results The median follow-up duration was 15 months (range: 3–47 months). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as an underlying lung disease (P