Heart-related mortality after postoperative breast irradiation in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ in the contemporary radiotherapy era

Although radiation-induced cardiotoxicity has been addressed, its prognostic relevance to modern radiotherapy (RT) techniques is unclear. This study assessed the impact of adjuvant RT on heart-related deaths in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ. Patients who underwent adjuvant RT after breast-conserving surgery between 1988 and 2008 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Kaplan‒Meier and competing risks analyses were conducted after propensity score-matching according to tumor laterality. A total of 41,526 propensity-matched patients were identified (n = 20,763 for either left- or right-sided tumor). In the analysis of the cumulative incidence of heart-related mortality events, there was a greater risk increment in the left-sided group over the first to second decades after RT in patients aged ≤ 50 years (P = 0.048). Competing risks analysis of the young patients showed that left-sided RT was associated with higher heart-related mortality rates (Grey’s test, P = 0.049). The statistical significance remained after adjusting for other covariates (subdistribution hazard ratio 2.35; 95% confidence interval 1.09‒5.10). Regarding the intrinsic effect of modern RT techniques, further strategies to reduce heart-related risks are needed for young patients. Close surveillance within an earlier follow-up period should be considered for these patients in clinics.