Cardiotoxic effects of tangential breast irradiation in early breast cancer patients: the role of irradiated heart volume.

Purpose: To assess the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after postlumpectomy irradiation restricted to tangential fields.

Methods And Materials: We assessed the incidence of CVD in 1601 patients with T1-2N0 breast cancer (BC) treated with breast tangentials in five different hospitals between 1980 and 1993. Patients treated with radiation fields other than breast tangentials and those treated with adjuvant chemotherapy were excluded.