Kefah Mokbel, Chair of Breast Cancer Surgery at London Breast Institute and Honorary Professor of Medicine at Cardiff University School of Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Modern Breast Radiotherapy Reassures on Long Term Cardiac Safety.
A large population based cohort study from Ontario provides important contemporary evidence on cardiovascular risk after breast radiotherapy.
Key data
76,586 women treated with external beam radiotherapy. Median follow up 10.9 years. 15 year cumulative incidence of cardiovascular hospitalization. Left sided 13.8 percent. Right sided 13.5 percent. No statistically significant difference P 0.43. Recurrent cardiovascular events. 1.72 vs 1.63 per 100 person years left vs right P 0.006.
Among patients with pre existing cardiovascular disease. Heart failure 10.2 percent vs 9.6 percent. Ischemic heart disease 13.6 percent vs 12.8 percent. No difference in all cause mortality.
Key message.
Contemporary photon based radiotherapy has largely mitigated the historical excess cardiac risk associated with left sided breast cancer treatment. Clinical implications. Modern radiotherapy techniques are delivering oncological benefit without meaningful long term cardiovascular penalty.
Cardiac risk should no longer be a major deterrent to optimal radiotherapy decisions. Ongoing vigilance remains important particularly in patients with pre existing cardiovascular disease.
This study reflects how technological progress in radiation oncology translates into real world safety improvements.”
Title: Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease After Contemporary Left-Sided Breast Radiation Therapy
Authors: Erika Nakajima, Lena Nguyen, Ning Liu, Danielle Rodin, Eitan Amir, Peter C. Austin, Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan, Husam Abdel-Qadir
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