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A new study finds that treating breast cancer patients with radiation therapy does not increase the risk of heart attack. Some previous analyses have
found a link between radiation therapy and heart attack, but the researchers of this
latest study say those results are likely incorrect. Radiation is commonly used on breast
cancer patients after breast-conserving therapy (lumpectomy)
to help destroy any remaining cancer cells and prevent the cancer from recurring. The
researchers say that while older versions of breast cancer radiation therapy may have been
damaging, the treatments used today are not harmful.
To conduct the study, Katherine A. Vallis, MD, PhD, of the Princess Margaret
Hospital/University Health Network in Toronto, and her colleagues analyzed records of
2,128 women who had undergone lumpectomy and radiation at Princess Margaret Hospital
between 1982 and 1988. They studied the number of women who had died or been admitted to
the hospital for heart attacks and compared them to the general population.
Previous studies have suggested that radiation therapy to the left breast in particular
can narrow the arteries and increase the risk of a heart attack. However, after an average
of 10.2 years follow-up, Dr. Vallis and her colleagues concluded that modern radiation
therapy after breast cancer surgery is safe and does not contribute to an increased risk
of heart attack.
While the link between heart attack and breast cancer radiation therapy has never been
clearly established, Dr. Vallis and her colleagues believe that some previous studies that
found an association were likely flawed because they may not have included information on
how the radiation therapy was given or accounted for other medical factors that may have
increased the women's risk for heart attack.
Another possibility is that previous studies may have included radiation techniques
that were not modern or that the radiation was not administered correctly. According to
Dr. Vallis and her colleagues, modern radiation therapy does not increase heart-related
problems, though radiation technologists must still be attentive when treating the breast
and chest wall.
Though Dr. Vallis and her team followed the women in their study for an average of 10
years, they plan to continue their follow-up to ensure that the risk of heart attack does
not exist at any point after undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer.
While the long-term risks of radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery appear to be
negligible, the treatment does carry short-term risks:
- Fatigue
- Neutropenia (reduction in white blood cells)
- Breast swelling or tenderness
- Feeling of heaviness in the breast
- Sunburn-like appearance of the breast skin
- Loss of appetite
In the vast majority of cases, the benefits of treating breast cancer and preventing a
recurrence of the disease with radiation therapy outweigh the risk of side effects or
complications.
Additional Resources and References
- The study, "Assessment of Coronary Heart Disease Morbidity and Mortality After
Radiation Therapy for Early Breast Cancer," is published in the February 2002 issue
of Journal of Clinical Oncology (Vol 20, Issue 4), http://www.jco.org/
- The May 16, 2002 American Cancer Society News Today report, "Radiation
Therapy Wrongly Blamed for Heart Damage, Breast Cancer Treatment Safe," is available
at http://www.cancer.org/
- To learn more about radiation therapy for breast cancer, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/radio_bctreatment.asp
- To learn more about heart attack, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/heart-disease/heartattack.asp
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