title: Long-Term Effects of Radiotherapy on Arterial Stiffness in Breast Cancer Women.
abstract: Radiotherapy for breast cancer may expose heart and vessels to late radiation-induced complications. Although recent technical progress in radiation therapy (RT) has been associated with drastic reduction in cardiovascular (CV) mortality, the prolonged life expectancy of patients with cancer requires CV evaluation for many years. The aim of our study was to evaluate local changes in vascular and cardiac function because of previous breast RT. We enrolled 43 patients treated with RT 15 years ago for breast cancer. CV risk factors and atherosclerotic carotid damage were investigated in all women. We divided patients into 2 groups: R (n = 25) treated to right breast and L (n = 18) to left breast. All subjects were submitted to standard echocardiography and functional arteries evaluation by carotid-radial pulse-wave velocity (crPWV; Complior) and AIx (Sphygmocor; Atcor Medical). Global mean age was 69.5 ± 8 years old. CV risk factors were equally allocated in 2 groups. No patients had history of cardiac or artery disease. R had a significantly increased crPWV (9.9 ± 1.4 vs 8.9 ± 1.1, p = 0.001) on right arm compared with left arm, and in L group, crPWV was similarly higher on the left arm than on right arm (9.6 ± 1.5 vs 8.9 ± 1.4, p = 0.011). AIx was significantly increased in the ipsilateral arm only in L (32.1 ± 7.6 vs 28.3 ± 6.8, p = 0.05). Central blood pressure estimation was not different in the right and left arms. No correlations were found with hormone therapy or chemotherapy. Our data show a local arterial stiffening because of radiation that can be involved in increased CV risk in breast cancer-treated patients.
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vallerio
authors.affiliation: Radioterapia Unit, Niguarda Cancer Center, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sarno
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy; Medicine and Surgery Department, Milano-Bicocca University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stucchi
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Musca
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Casadei
authors.affiliation: Medicine and Surgery Department, Milano-Bicocca University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maloberti
authors.affiliation: Centro Riferimento Oncologico, National Cancer Institute Aviano, Pordenone, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lestuzzi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancia
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreo
authors.affiliation: Radioterapia Unit, Niguarda Cancer Center, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palazzi
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia IV Unit, A. De Gasperis Department, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy; Medicine and Surgery Department, Milano-Bicocca University, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: cristina.giannattasio@ospedaleniguarda.it.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannattasio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000528:radiation effects*