Surgical wound healing.

It is clear that the alterations in wound healing caused by irradiation and chemotherapy are due to reduced rates of collagen production, probably from adverse effects of irradiation and chemotherapy on fibroblasts. The effect is to slow the process of wound healing so much that there is significantly more time for a complication to occur. If no complication occurs in the first 3-4 weeks after wound production, healing seems to proceed reasonably normally. The specific mechanisms by which irradiation and chemotherapy cause their damage is not known and additional research is needed.