Impact of patient-specific factors in the development of radiation (RT)-associated cardiac perfusion defects

Abstract

673 Background: Our group is prospectively studying the impact of tangential photon RT to the left breast/chest wall on cardiac function. Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to assess regional perfusion, we have reported that RT causes dose/volume-dependent perfusion defects in the anterior myocardium. The current analysis addresses the impact of patient-specific factors on the development of RT-associated SPECT cardiac perfusion defects. Methods: Between 1998–2001, 114 patients enrolled onto an IRB-approved prospective study and had pre- and serial post-RT (6–24 months) SPECT scans to assess changes in regional cardiac perfusion. Eighty-three patients had normal pre-RT perfusion scans and available follow-up data. Due to the confounding effect of irradiated volume, patients were divided into 3 subgroups based on the percent of left ventricle within the RT fields: ≤ 1%, 1–5%, and ≥ 5%. Within each volume cohort, the impact of patient-specific factors (Adriamycin based chemotherapy exp...