Radiation Therapy for DCIS and Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Naomi B. Boekel, MSc, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, discusses the results from a large study that showed that radiation therapy for DCIS does not seem to increase cardiovascular disease risk.

There were two types of comparisons in this analysis, Boekel says. In part of the study, DCIS survivors had a similar risk of dying of any cause, but a 30 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with the general population.

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Additionally, there was no increase in risk for cardiovascular disease between patients who received surgery alone compared with those that received surgery plus radiation (9% versus 8%), or between patients who received left- versus right-sided radiotherapy (7% versus 8%).

• DCIS survivors had a similar risk of dying of any cause, but a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with the general population
• There was no increase in risk for cardiovascular disease between patients who received surgery alone versus those that received surgery plus radiation, or between patients who received left- versus right-sided radiotherapy