title: Cardiac toxicity in breast cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To asses cardiac toxicity post radiotherapy in left cancer breast patients with different fractionations.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective randomized study conducted at Kasr El-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK). Cardiological assessment using RTOG toxicity criteria was done for left sided breast cancer patients after at least five years of conformal radiation therapy. There were two arms of radiation, conventional (50Gy/25sttt/5 Ws) and hypofractionation (42.5 Gy /16 fractions /3 1/5 weeks).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty patients were included in each arm. After a median follow up of 62 months (range 60 to 72), cardiac dysfunction developed more in the conventional arm but was insignificant (P value =0.36). Grade I & II toxicity was 83.3 vs 70% and grade III was 3.3% in the hypofractionated arm only. The rate of localregional tumor relapse at 5 years was similar (3.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypofractionated radiotherapy decreased cardiac toxicity though not statistically significant, however it is more cost effective and time consuming.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  breast cancer, cardiac toxicity, hypofractionation, Egypt.
authors.affiliation: Noha Yeiha Ibrahim, M.D, Clinical Oncology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology & Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK), Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. Email: dr.noha11@hotmail.com Tel. No. 002 01223234407.
authors.forename: N Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Clinical Oncology Department, Kasr Al-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology & Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK), Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Saad