TY - JOUR
T1 - No changes in myocardial perfusion following radiation therapy of left-sided breast cancer
T2 - A positron emission tomography study
AU - Rasmussen, Thomas
AU - Kjær, Andreas
AU - Lassen, Martin Lyngby
AU - Pedersen, Anders Navrsted
AU - Specht, Lena
AU - Aznar, Marianne C
AU - Hasbak, Philip
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - BACKGROUND: Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer has improved overall survival. However, incidental exposure of the heart has been linked to development of radiation-induced heart disease. The aim of this study was, in a cohort of asymptomatic post-irradiation breast cancer patients, to investigate changes in myocardial blood flow (MBF) and presence of perfusion defects in myocardial perfusion positron-emission-tomography (PET) in the irradiated myocardium.METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty patients treated with RT for left-sided breast cancer underwent 13N-ammonia myocardial perfusion PET 7(± 2) years after breath adapted RT to a total dose of 48 Gy given in 24 fractions. No differences in rest or stress MBF were noted between the irradiated and non-irradiated myocardium (1.29 (± 0.29) vs 1.33 (± 0.29) mL/g/min, ns; 2.74 (± 0.59) vs 2.78 (± 0.66) mL/g/min, ns, respectively). One patient demonstrated a myocardial perfusion defect localized in the irradiated anterior wall myocardium.CONCLUSION: Although limited by a small sample size, early signs of cardiac injury detected by NH3 myocardial perfusion PET was at least not frequent in our cohort of patients treated with a modern RT technique for left-sided breast cancer, even 7 years after treatment. The findings however, may not rule out subsequent development of myocardial injury.
AB - BACKGROUND: Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer has improved overall survival. However, incidental exposure of the heart has been linked to development of radiation-induced heart disease. The aim of this study was, in a cohort of asymptomatic post-irradiation breast cancer patients, to investigate changes in myocardial blood flow (MBF) and presence of perfusion defects in myocardial perfusion positron-emission-tomography (PET) in the irradiated myocardium.METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty patients treated with RT for left-sided breast cancer underwent 13N-ammonia myocardial perfusion PET 7(± 2) years after breath adapted RT to a total dose of 48 Gy given in 24 fractions. No differences in rest or stress MBF were noted between the irradiated and non-irradiated myocardium (1.29 (± 0.29) vs 1.33 (± 0.29) mL/g/min, ns; 2.74 (± 0.59) vs 2.78 (± 0.66) mL/g/min, ns, respectively). One patient demonstrated a myocardial perfusion defect localized in the irradiated anterior wall myocardium.CONCLUSION: Although limited by a small sample size, early signs of cardiac injury detected by NH3 myocardial perfusion PET was at least not frequent in our cohort of patients treated with a modern RT technique for left-sided breast cancer, even 7 years after treatment. The findings however, may not rule out subsequent development of myocardial injury.
KW - Myocardial perfusion
KW - ammonia cardiac PET
KW - cardiac positron-emission-tomography
KW - breast cancer
KW - radiation therapy
U2 - 10.1007/s12350-019-01949-9
DO - 10.1007/s12350-019-01949-9
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 31741325
SN - 1071-3581
VL - 28
SP - 1923
EP - 1932
JO - Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
JF - Journal of nuclear cardiology : official publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
IS - 5
ER -