Key result
Thoracic radiation therapy can lead to radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction despite modern cardiac-sparing techniques, necessitating baseline and ongoing cardiovascular screening.
Why the study?
Despite cardiac-sparing radiation therapy advances, thoracic cancer survivors still experience incidental cardiac radiation exposure, requiring appropriate prevention, screening, and management.
This review outlines the pathophysiology, risk factors, and current screening and management guidelines for radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction in thoracic cancer survivors.
Radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction persists despite modern RT; review leaves open optimal prevention and screening protocols for survivors.
Radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction is a critical healthcare concern facing survivors of thoracic cancers treated with radiation therapy. Despite cardiac-sparing advances in radiation therapy delivery, many patients with thoracic cancers receiving modern radiation therapy will still have incidental radiation exposure to the heart. Therefore, it is imperative that cardiovascular healthcare providers take appropriate measures to prevent, screen, and manage radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction in patients with a history of thoracic radiation therapy. In this review, we aim to provide healthcare providers with foundational information about radiation-induced cardiac pathophysiology and a chronology of advances in radiation technology. Subsequently, we provide an up-to-date review of treatment- and host-related factors that can influence a patient's risk for radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction. Finally, we culminate our discussion by detailing current screening and management guidelines to aid healthcare providers in caring for their patients with a history of thoracic radiation therapy.
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A 2022 study conducted a review in Radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction in thoracic cancer survivors. Thoracic radiation therapy was evaluated. Thoracic radiation therapy can lead to radiation-induced cardiac dysfunction despite modern cardiac-sparing techniques, necessitating baseline and ongoing cardiovascular screening.
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