Cardiotoxicity of Radiation Therapy

Alongside chemotherapy and surgery, radiation therapy remains an important part of today's cancer treatment. For patients with breast cancer, lung cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma the treatment volume typically includes the heart. These patients are at risk for developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, constrictive pericarditis and valvular disease up to decades after exposure.High radiation doses (> 25 Gy mean heart dose, MHD), additional chemotherapy with anthracyclines, childhood or adolescence cancer survivors and additional cardiovascular risk factors increase the likelihood for radiation associated cardiovascular toxicity. Especially these patients need a long-term surveillance including echocardiography at least every 5 years and non-invasive diagnostic for coronary artery disease every 5-10 years.