ABSTRACT
In biopsy practice the recognition of radiation damage is mainly seen as the chronic effect of the longterm complication of radiotherapy given for bladder and gynaecological cancers. The accuracy of modern equipment has meant that acute radiation injury is rarely encountered (Gelfand et al., 1968), indeed the chronic picture is also becoming less common. Acute damage can still be seen in resections for rectal carcinoma in the context of short term preoperative adjuvant therapy regimens (Leupin et al., 2002). This is seldom a biopsy issue but, because the epithelial damage produced can be mistaken for dysplasia, it is a potential diagnostic pitfall and receives brief coverage below.
