A comparison of cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidities and risk factors in breast cancer survivors compared to an age-matched female control group in the Lifelines prospective population cohort.

Purpose: To provide more insight into late treatment-related toxicities among breast cancer (BC) survivors by comparing morbidities and risk factors between BC survivors and age-matched controls.

Materials And Methods: All female participants diagnosed with BC before inclusion in Lifelines, a population-based cohort in the Netherlands, were selected and matched 1:4 to female controls without any oncological history on birth year. Baseline was defined as the age at BC diagnosis.

Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy and the Risk of Acute Coronary Events: Insights From a Process-Oriented Model.

Purpose: Acute coronary events (ACEs) are considered the most important side effect of radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer, but underlying mechanisms still have to be identified. Process-oriented models mathematically describe the development of disease and provide a link between mechanisms and subsequent risk. Here, this link is exploited to learn about the underlying mechanisms from the observed age-time patterns of ACE risk.

Validation of separate multi-atlases for auto segmentation of cardiac substructures in CT-scans acquired in deep inspiration breath hold and free breathing.

Background And Purpose: Developing NTCP-models for cardiac complications after breast cancer (BC) radiotherapy requires cardiac dose-volume parameters for many patients. These can be obtained by using multi-atlas based automatic segmentation (MABAS) of cardiac structures in planning CT scans. We investigated the relevance of separate multi-atlases for deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and free breathing (FB) CT scans.

The Importance of Radiation Dose to the Atherosclerotic Plaque in the Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery for Radiation-Induced Cardiac Toxicity of Breast Cancer Patients?

Purpose: Radiation-induced acute coronary events (ACEs) may occur as a treatment-related late adverse effect of breast cancer (BC) radiation. However, the underlying mechanisms behind this radiation-induced cardiac disease remain to be determined. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that radiation dose to calcified atherosclerotic plaques in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is a better predictor for ACEs than radiation dose to the whole heart or left ventricle in patients with BC treated with radiation therapy.

Development and evaluation of an auto-segmentation tool for the left anterior descending coronary artery of breast cancer patients based on anatomical landmarks.

This study describes the development and evaluation of an auto-segmentation tool for the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), on non-contrast planning computed tomography scans of breast cancer patients. The dosimetric parameters of the auto-segmented LAD contours are highly correlated with those of manual contours (R-values ≥0.89).

Cardiac Function After Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that incidental cardiac irradiation is associated with changes in cardiac function in breast cancer (BC) survivors treated with radiation therapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of 109 BC survivors treated with RT between 2005 and 2011. The endpoint was cardiac function, assessed by echocardiography.

Is the coronary artery calcium score associated with acute coronary events in breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy?

Background And Purpose: The main objective of this study was to test whether pre-treatment coronary artery calcium (CAC) was associated with the cumulative incidence of acute coronary events (ACE) among breast cancer (BC) patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy (RT).

Material And Methods: The study population consisted of 939 consecutive female BC patients treated with RT. The association between CAC and ACE was tested using Cox-proportional hazard models.

Validation and Modification of a Prediction Model for Acute Cardiac Events in Patients With Breast Cancer Treated With Radiotherapy Based on Three-Dimensional Dose Distributions to Cardiac Substructures.

Purpose A relationship between mean heart dose (MHD) and acute coronary event (ACE) rate was reported in a study of patients with breast cancer (BC). The main objective of our cohort study was to validate this relationship and investigate if other dose-distribution parameters are better predictors for ACEs than MHD. Patients and Methods The cohort consisted of 910 consecutive female patients with BC treated with radiotherapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery.

Diagnosing perforated appendicitis in pediatric patients: a new model.

Objective: Studies have investigated sensitivity and specificity of symptoms and tests for diagnosing appendicitis in children. Less is known with regard to the predictive value of these symptoms and tests with respect to the severity of appendicitis. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of patient's characteristics and tests for discriminating between perforated and nonperforated appendicitis in children.