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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Radiation for breast cancer linked to increased risk of heart problems.


Research linking radiation therapy to an increased risk of certain heart problems received a substantial amount of coverage in print and online. Despite the risk, experts said it does not mean that the treatment should not be used in breast cancer patients. Meanwhile, some experts pointed out that radiation treatments now pose less of a danger to the heart than during the time the patients in the study were treated. The Wall Street Journal (3/14, Beck, Subscription Publication, 2.29M) reports that, according toresearch published in the New England Journal of Medicine, women who undergo radiation therapy to treat breast cancer may face a higher risk of certain cardiovascular problems.
        USA Today (3/13, Szabo, 1.71M) reports, "In a study of 2,168 breast cancer patients who had radiation therapy between 1958 and 2001 in Sweden and Denmark, doctors found that any amount of radiation" was linked to a higher risk of "heart attacks, surgeries such as a bypass or angioplasty, or a heart-related death." This research "is the latest to document the serious long-term health problems faced by cancer survivors."
        The New York Times (3/14, Grady, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports that the researchers "found that the risk began to increase within a few years after exposure, and that it continued for at least 20 years." The study found that, "the higher the dose, the higher the risk, and there was some increase in risk at even the lowest level of exposure."
        The AP (3/14, Marchione) reports, "Some chemotherapy drugs are known to harm the heart muscle, but the new study shows radiation can hurt arteries, making them prone to harden and clog and cause a heart attack." Patients "who receive both treatments have both types of risk." The AP points out that this research "comes amid greater awareness of overtreatment - that many women are being treated for cancers that would never prove fatal, leading to trouble down the road such as heart disease."
        In Forbes (3/13, 928K), Larry Husten writes, "Findings from the study, according to the authors, 'make it possible to estimate' a patient's risk for heart disease related to radiation."
        The Los Angeles Times (3/13, Brown, 692K) "Booster Shots" blog reports, "Writing in an editorial that accompanied the study, Dr. Javid Moslehi, co-director of the Cardio-Oncology Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, argued that the findings should bolster efforts to offer cancer patients specialized cardiac treatment as they battle their disease." Dr. Moslehi "also suggested that the breast cancer-radiotherapy study might represent merely 'the tip of the iceberg' - that exposure to radiation might also increase risks of conditions like pericardial disease and arrhythmias." Additionally, "cancer treatments beyond radiation therapy might also increase heart disease risk, he said."
        The Boston Globe (3/14, Kotz, 250K) "Daily Dose" blog reports, however, that some "oncologists...caution that the study findings may not apply to modern radiation treatments for breast cancer, which deliver lower doses using more targeted methods to minimize exposure to the heart." Meanwhile, study co-author Dr. Candace Correa said, "Breast cancer patients who are candidates for radiation should still receive radiation." Also covering the story are Reuters (3/14, Emery), MedPage Today (3/14), HealthDay (3/14, Doheny), and Medscape (3/14, Lowry).

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