Heart toxicity from breast cancer radiotherapy

ConclusionIn addition to mean heart dose, breast cancer RT treatment planning should also include constraints for cardiac subvolumes such as LV and LAD. The given constraints serve as a  clinicians’ aid for ensuring adequate heart protection. The individual decision between sufficient protection of cardiac structures versus optimal target volume coverage remains in the physician’s hand. The risk of breast cancer-specific mortality and a patient’s cardiac risk factors must b e individually weighed up against the risk of radiation-induced cardiotoxicity.
Source: Strahlentherapie und Onkologie - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research