Do Breast Cancer Therapies Increase the Risk of Heart-Related Deaths?
Breast cancer survival rates have improved over time, but the adverse outcomes of treatment to the heart remain a concern. A U.S.-based registry study shows that although treatments for breast cancer can cause damage to the heart, the patients who undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy are not likely to die of heart disease. Regular screenings and proper risk management for heart issues in patients with breast cancer can reduce the risk of heart diseases. According to clinical trials conducted before, both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are associated with the risk of heart disease as a possible side effect. However, after the analysis of about 350,000 breast cancer patients relative to the population across the U.S., the comparison showed that long-term risk of death from heart disease is not high compared with the average population of women. This concluded that: • Proper risk management in hospitals, if taken into account when choosing adequate therapy, can reduce the probabili