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Diagnosed With Atrial Fibrillation After Getting Lumpectomy And Radiotherapy Done. Is The Heart Problem Due To The Radiotherapy?
My mother had a left breast lumpectomy and a reduced dose of radiotherapy (as part of a trial) two years ago. She now has atrial fibrillation and her life has dramatically altered in the last few months. She has just been started on amiodarone and awaits a cardioversion. Could the radiotherapy, have played some part in causing this heart problem?
Wed, 7 Nov 2012
Hi Dingle 9
The answer to your question is probably yes. Radiotherapy could have probably played a role in development of cardiac problem, but one cannot be sure of it
Radiation to left sided breast cancers have been associated with a slightly higher risk of cardiac deaths due to the cardiac damage. But this depends on several factors like : Dose of radiation received by the heart, Technique used for radiation delivery and use of certain chemotherapy drugs like Doxorubicin , Transtuzumab which are associated with cardiac side effects
With modern radiotherapy techniques the dose to heart is minimized. Also there are dose limits to the heart, and during treatment one tries to keep the dose below this level as much as possible
Dr Edison
The answer to your question is probably yes. Radiotherapy could have probably played a role in development of cardiac problem, but one cannot be sure of it
Radiation to left sided breast cancers have been associated with a slightly higher risk of cardiac deaths due to the cardiac damage. But this depends on several factors like : Dose of radiation received by the heart, Technique used for radiation delivery and use of certain chemotherapy drugs like Doxorubicin , Transtuzumab which are associated with cardiac side effects
With modern radiotherapy techniques the dose to heart is minimized. Also there are dose limits to the heart, and during treatment one tries to keep the dose below this level as much as possible
Dr Edison
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