Radiotherapy is an important treatment for malignant tumors. However, it is also one cause of damage to local normal tissues, such as radiation nephropathy, which is frequently induced during the radiotherapy of abdominal and pelvic tumors. The exact pathogenesis of radiation nephropathy is still unclear and is believed to be related mainly to factors including oxidative stress, cell aging, and gene changes presently. Moreover, there is a lack of effective treatments for radiation nephropathy. With an increase in the survival of tumor patients, radiation nephropathy has received increasing attention. This article mainly reviewed the research progress of radiation nephropathy from the aspects of pathogenesis and treatments, aiming to provide a reference for the research and clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation nephropathy.