A 68-year-old man presents with a 6-month history of painless intermittent rectal bleeding and mild diarrhea. He completed external beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer 30 months ago. Flexible sigmoidoscopy reveals abnormal findings confined to the distal rectum within the radiation field. The structure marked **A** in the diagram shows pale atrophic rectal mucosa with numerous prominent superficial dilated telangiectasias appearing as bright red spider-like vascular ectasias. Which of the following best explains the pathophysiology of this endoscopic finding?
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