Coronary artery calcium in breast cancer survivors after radiation therapy

• Verfasst von: Takx, Richard A. P. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Pilz, Lothar R. [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Schönberg, Stefan [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Henzler, Thomas [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Apfaltrer, Paul [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Coronary artery calcium in breast cancer survivors after radiation therapy
• Verf.angabe: Richard A.P. Takx, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart, U. Joseph Schoepf, Lothar R. Pilz, Stefan O. Schoenberg, Pamela B. Morris, Thomas Henzler, Paul Apfaltrer
• E-Jahr: 2017
• Jahr: 24 March 2017
• Umfang: 7 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 08.10.2018
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: The international journal of cardiovascular imaging
• Ort Quelle: Dordrecht [u.a.] : Springer, 2001
• Jahr Quelle: 2017
• Band/Heft Quelle: 33(2017), 9, Seite 1425-1431
• ISSN Quelle: 1875-8312
• DOI: doi:10.1007/s10554-017-1119-x
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: Breast neoplasms
• Sach-SW: Coronary artery disease
• Sach-SW: Myocardial ischemia
• Sach-SW: Radiation oncology
• Sach-SW: Radiation therapy
• K10plus-PPN: 1581620845

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate whether breast cancer survivors after radiation therapy have a higher burden of coronary artery calcium as a potential surrogate of radiation-induced accelerated coronary artery disease. 333 patients were included. 54 patients underwent chest CT ≥ 6 months after the start of radiation therapy (radiation therapy group), while 279 patients had a CT scan either prior to or without undergoing radiation therapy (RT). Coronary artery calcium was quantified from CT by applying a threshold-based automated algorithm. Mean age at diagnosis was similar (p = 0.771) between RT (57.4 ± 13.1 years) and NoRT (58.0 ± 11.9 years). Median time between radiation therapy and CT was 2 years. The groups showed no significant differences in race, smoking history, cancer laterality, or cancer stage. 39 (72.2%) of RT patients had a coronary artery calcium score of 0, compared to 201 (72.0%) in patients without radiation therapy. Median coronary artery calcium burden for both groups was not significantly different (p = 0.982), nor when comparing patients who underwent left- versus right-sided radiation therapy (p = 0.453). When adjusting for the time between diagnosis and CT, radiation therapy patients had a significantly lower risk of a positive coronary artery calcium score. In conclusion, breast cancer survivors after radiation therapy are not more likely to show coronary artery calcium on follow-up CT imaging. Our results thus do not support radiation-induced accelerated coronary artery disease as an explanation for higher rates of heart disease in this group.