On the pathogenesis of bleomycin lung toxicity.

Bleomycin is potentially capable of inducing a diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lung, the pathogenesis of which has not yet been elucidated. The authors have demonstrated that after 48 hr of acute treatment, morphological and functional modifications could be seen in type II pneumocytes, which are responsible for surfactant production. This might be the earliest stage of pulmonary damage.