Stroke after Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer – What is the Risk?

Treating head and neck squamous cell carcinomas with radiotherapy has been shown to cause damage to the cerebrovasculature. This retrospective cohort study found that any exposure to radiation was associated with a 46% higher hazard of stroke, and with radiotherapy as the sole treatment modality, 70% increased risk of stroke compared to surgery alone. Implications of this research speak to the need for adequate follow-up and survivorship care among patients that were treated with RT.

Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - July 15, 2016 Category: Radiology Authors: Erin Arthurs, Timothy P. Hanna, Khaled Zaza, Yingwei Peng, Stephen F. Hall Source Type: research