IRRADIATION OF THE LIVER IN CHILDREN: ACUTE EFFECTS ENHANCED BY CONCOMITANT CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC ADMINISTRATION?

Abstract

Three cases are reported to describe further our experience with antitumor chemotherapeutic agents, administered either during or following irradiation to the liver in children. The scan defect that has occurred acutely and the peripheral blood cell count depression make us believe that these agents are toxic to liver which is irradiated in whole or in part; further, that the unirradiated segment may be adversely affected by these agents since it is in a sensitive state of compensatory hypertrophy; and that such defects can occur suddenly after the completion of irradiation when certain chemotherapeutic agents are administered within 6 months of the completion of irradiation.