title: Myocardial perfusion imaging with (99 m)Tc-tetrofosmin SPECT in breast cancer patients that received postoperative radiotherapy: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the cardiac toxicity of radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer (BC) patients employing myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with Tc-99 m Tetrofosmin-single photon emission computer tomography (T-SPECT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 46 BC female patients (28 patients with left and 18 patients with right BC) treated with postoperative RT compared to a control group of 85 age-matched females. The median time of RT to SPECT was 40 months (6-263).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Abnormalities in the summed stress score (SSS) were found in 54% of left BC patients, 44.4% of right BC patients, and 32.9% of controls. In left BC patients there were significantly more SSS abnormalities compared to controls (4.0 ± 3.5 vs 2.6 ± 2.0, p = 0.05) and possible trend of increased abnormalities of right BC patients (3.7 ± 3.0 vs 2.6 ± 2.0, p = 0.14). Multiple regression analysis showed more abnormalities in the MPI of left BC patients compared to controls (SSS, p = 0.0001); Marginal toxicity was also noted in right BC patients (SSS, p = 0.045). No additional toxicity was found in patients that received adjuvant cardiotoxic chemotherapy. All T-SPECT abnormalities were clinically silent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study suggests that radiation therapy to BC patients result in MPI abnormalities but without apparent clinical consequences.
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Ioannina, Greece. csioka@yahoo.com
authors: Chrissa
authors: C
authors: Sioka
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Exarchopoulos
authors: Ifigenia
authors: I
authors: Tasiou
authors: Eftychia
authors: E
authors: Tzima
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Fotou
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Capizzello
authors: Vasilios
authors: V
authors: Ragos
authors: Periklis
authors: P
authors: Tsekeris
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Fotopoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C078700:technetium tc-99m tetrofosmin