Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

No Increased Cardiac Mortality or Morbidity of Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients After Breast-Conserving Surgery : 20-Year Follow-up of the Randomized SweBCGRT Trial

Killander, Fredrika LU ; Wieslander, Elinore LU ; Karlsson, Per ; Holmberg, Erik ; Lundstedt, Dan ; Holmberg, Lars ; Werner, Linda LU ; Koul, Sasha LU ; Haghanegi, Mahnaz and Kjellen, Elisabeth LU , et al. (2020) In International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 107(4). p.701-709
Abstract

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival but may cause late side effects. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate long-term side effects after whole breast RT in a randomized clinical trial initiated in 1991 and to report dose-volume data based on individual 3-dimensional treatment plans for organs at risk. Methods and Materials: The trial included 1187 patients with T1-2 N0 breast cancer randomized to postoperative tangential whole breast RT or no further treatment. The prescription dose to the clinical target volume was 48 to 54 Gy. We present 20-year follow-up on survival, cause of death, morbidity, and later malignancies. For a cohort of patients... (More)

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival but may cause late side effects. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate long-term side effects after whole breast RT in a randomized clinical trial initiated in 1991 and to report dose-volume data based on individual 3-dimensional treatment plans for organs at risk. Methods and Materials: The trial included 1187 patients with T1-2 N0 breast cancer randomized to postoperative tangential whole breast RT or no further treatment. The prescription dose to the clinical target volume was 48 to 54 Gy. We present 20-year follow-up on survival, cause of death, morbidity, and later malignancies. For a cohort of patients (n = 157) with accessible computed tomography–based 3-dimensional treatment plans in Dicom-RT format, dose-volume descriptors for organs at risk were derived. In addition, these were compared with dose-volume data for a cohort of patients treated with contemporary RT techniques. Results: The cumulative incidence of cardiac mortality was 12.4% in the control group and 13.0% in the RT group (P = .8). There was an increase in stroke mortality: 3.4% in the control group versus 6.7% in the RT group (P = .018). Incidences of contralateral breast cancer and lung cancer were similar between groups. The median Dmean (range) heart dose for left-sided treatments was 3.0 Gy (1.1-8.1), and the corresponding value for patients treated in 2017 was 1.5 Gy (0.4-6.0). Conclusions: In this trial, serious late side effects of whole breast RT were limited and less than previously reported in large meta-analyses. We observed no increase in cardiac mortality in irradiated patients. Doses to the heart were a median Dmean of 3.0 Gy for left-sided RT. The observed increase in stroke mortality may partly be secondary to cardiac side effects, complications to anticoagulant treatment, or to chance, rather than a direct side effect of tangential whole breast irradiation.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
volume
107
issue
4
pages
9 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85085330933
  • pmid:32302682
ISSN
0360-3016
DOI
10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.04.003
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e7e497ee-29f7-4fa4-bf77-6e80b9297b91
date added to LUP
2020-06-26 12:41:48
date last changed
2024-04-17 10:59:56
@article{e7e497ee-29f7-4fa4-bf77-6e80b9297b91,
  abstract     = {{<p>Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival but may cause late side effects. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate long-term side effects after whole breast RT in a randomized clinical trial initiated in 1991 and to report dose-volume data based on individual 3-dimensional treatment plans for organs at risk. Methods and Materials: The trial included 1187 patients with T1-2 N0 breast cancer randomized to postoperative tangential whole breast RT or no further treatment. The prescription dose to the clinical target volume was 48 to 54 Gy. We present 20-year follow-up on survival, cause of death, morbidity, and later malignancies. For a cohort of patients (n = 157) with accessible computed tomography–based 3-dimensional treatment plans in Dicom-RT format, dose-volume descriptors for organs at risk were derived. In addition, these were compared with dose-volume data for a cohort of patients treated with contemporary RT techniques. Results: The cumulative incidence of cardiac mortality was 12.4% in the control group and 13.0% in the RT group (P = .8). There was an increase in stroke mortality: 3.4% in the control group versus 6.7% in the RT group (P = .018). Incidences of contralateral breast cancer and lung cancer were similar between groups. The median D<sub>mean</sub> (range) heart dose for left-sided treatments was 3.0 Gy (1.1-8.1), and the corresponding value for patients treated in 2017 was 1.5 Gy (0.4-6.0). Conclusions: In this trial, serious late side effects of whole breast RT were limited and less than previously reported in large meta-analyses. We observed no increase in cardiac mortality in irradiated patients. Doses to the heart were a median D<sub>mean</sub> of 3.0 Gy for left-sided RT. The observed increase in stroke mortality may partly be secondary to cardiac side effects, complications to anticoagulant treatment, or to chance, rather than a direct side effect of tangential whole breast irradiation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Killander, Fredrika and Wieslander, Elinore and Karlsson, Per and Holmberg, Erik and Lundstedt, Dan and Holmberg, Lars and Werner, Linda and Koul, Sasha and Haghanegi, Mahnaz and Kjellen, Elisabeth and Nilsson, Per and Malmström, Per}},
  issn         = {{0360-3016}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{701--709}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics}},
  title        = {{No Increased Cardiac Mortality or Morbidity of Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients After Breast-Conserving Surgery : 20-Year Follow-up of the Randomized SweBCGRT Trial}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.04.003}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.04.003}},
  volume       = {{107}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}