Research advances in radiation?induced heart disease / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Radiation?induced heart disease ( RIHD) is a common type of radiation?induced damages in chest radiotherapy. There are no obvious short?term symptoms in patients with RIHD. However, RIHD causes irreversible permanent damages to the heart over time, which undermines the quality of life. Patients with severe RIHD even have a risk of death from myocardial infarction caused by coronary atherosclerosis. This paper summarizes the research advances in epidemiology, diagnosis, mechanisms of radiation?induced injury in various parts of the heart, radiotherapy techniques, and treatment. Reduction in radiation range and dose, early diagnosis, and early treatment are recommended for patients to reduce heart injury and improve the quality of life.