Tue. Feb 2, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- Many food consumers may not be aware that breast cancer treatments including radiation therapy and chemotherapy can deteriorate the cardiovascular health. A new study confirms that the breast cancer survivors are at elevated risk for dying from cardiovascular disease.
The study based on 1,413 cases of incident breast cancer diagnosed in 1996 to 1997 and 1,411 aged match controls without breast cancer shows that breast cancer survivors are nearly twice as likely to die during a 14-year follow-up.
Elevated risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular disease related death in breast cancer survivors manifested seven years after diagnosis. The study linked chemotherapy to the increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Radiation therapy used to treat breast cancer induces oxidative stress and increases risk of fibrosis and intimal proliferation in endothelial vasculature - some cardiovascular disease. Reports show that exposure to medical radiation on the chest intended to treat cancer like breast cancer can make the heart smaller than usual and potentially lead to heart failure.
Debra Nana Yeboa, MD, Suzanne Buckley Evans, MD, MPH, Contemporary Breast Radiotherapy and Cardiac Toxicity, Seminars in Radiation Oncology, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 71–78
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