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Abstract Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In 2015, an estimated 221,200 new cases (115,610 in men and 105,590 in women) of lung and bronchial cancer will be diagnosed, and 158,040 deaths (86,380 in men and 71,660 in women) are estimated to occur in the United States. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the various options available in the management of lung cancer. In case of non-small cell lung cancer in the early stages (stage I to IIIA) surgery if feasible is the treatment of choice. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is not well established. For metastatic diseases only palliative treatment either chemo or radiotherapy is feasible. As the lung is a potential target of drug and especially chemotherapy toxicity, the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on pulmonary function needs further attention. While several trials have focused on the toxic effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on pulmonary function or the course of lung function after major lung resection without neo-/adjuvant therapy. In addition, toxicity of radiotherapy occurs both as acute side effects during or within 90 days after the completion of course of irradiation and late complication of radiation fibrosis develop from 3 to 18 months after radiotherapy. We aim to assess the incidence of pulmonary complications of radio and chemotherapy in treatment of lung cancer. Our results showed that 28% of included subjects developed pulmonary infections, eight percent developed pulmonary embolism, and only one patient had respiratory failure throughout the study period. In addition, a higher 96 significant reduction in total leucocyte count was observed among complicated group compared to non-complicated group. There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding age, sex, occupation, family and smoking history, or histopathological type. Interestingly, the baseline pulmonary function tests were significantly lower among the group with pulmonary complications in comparison to noncomplicated group. However, no significant differences from baseline pulmonary function tests were detected among study groups at the end of follow up. The mortality rate was ١٨% throughout the study period. In conclusion, the incidence of pulmonary complications among adult patients with lung cancer who receive different modalities is high. The most commonly encountered complications are pulmonary infections and pulmonary embolism. Although pulmonary functions do not decline significantly following treatment; the baseline pulmonary function parameters can be used for the prediction of development of pulmonary complications. |