Abstract

*Dr. R. Rajakumari MD and Prof. Dr. R. Balajinathan MD

ABSTRACT

Bleomycin is one of the important chemotherapy commonly given for the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma and germ-cell tumours, the most highly curable cancers. But bleomycin can cause severe lifethreatening lung injury, which ranges from hypersensitivity pneumonitis and bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) to acute interstitial pneumonia and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary toxicity is a known side effect of chemotherapy, but a 10% death rate of bleomycin is judged unacceptable for patients with curable cancers. Toxic effects of bleomycin are generally due to formation of free radicals and organ specificity is driven by the bleomycin catalysing hydrolase, which is absent in lung and skin tissue, rendering these organs vulnerable to toxicity. Hence early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of limiting toxicities such as bleomycin-induced lung injury, is very important. This study aims at of earlier prediction of bleomycin induced lung toxicity in hodgkin’s lymphoma & germcell tumours.