Radiation-related heart disease: current knowledge and future prospects.

The heart has traditionally been considered a radio-resistant organ that would be unaffected by cardiac doses below about 30 Gray. During the last few years, however, evidence that radiation-related heart disease can occur following lower doses has emerged from several sources. These include studies of breast cancer patients, who received mean cardiac doses of 3–17 Gray when given radiotherapy following surgery, and studies of survivors of the atomic bombings of Japan who received doses of up to 4 Gray.

Clinical manifestations of noncoronary atherosclerotic vascular disease after moderate dose irradiation.

Background: Accelerated atherosclerosis and carotid stenosis are well-established risks occurring after high radiation doses that are used to treat cancers of the head and neck. Noncoronary vascular disease has been observed and may relate to more moderate dose irradiation.

Methods: A search of patients treated for Hodgkin disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or seminoma was performed to identify cases with noncoronary vascular complications after irradiation.

The pathology of ionizing radiation as defined by morphologic patterns.

This article presents a brief description of the effects of ionizing radiation in human tissues, as seen by the Pathologist. The lesions that occur in multiple organ/tissues will be discussed, dividing them into those that affect (a) the parenchyma or epithelia, (b) the stromal elements, and (c) the blood vessels. Since not all lesions fit into these patterns, the exceptions will be described as characteristic organ lesions.

Radiation-associated cardiovascular disease: manifestations and management.

Irradiation of the heart incidental to the treatment of malignancies can cause a spectrum of cardiovascular complications. These include pericarditis, myocardial fibrosis, muscular dysfunction, valvular abnormalities, and conduction disturbances. Survivors of Hodgkin's disease and breast cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy after mastectomy appear to be the groups at highest risk for radiation-associated cardiovascular disease.

Nicotine accelerates angiogenesis and wound healing in genetically diabetic mice.

Recently, we have discovered an endogenous cholinergic pathway for angiogenesis mediated by endothelial nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Since angiogenesis plays a major role in wound repair, we hypothesized that activation of nAChRs with nicotine would accelerate wound healing in a murine excisional wound model. In genetically diabetic and control mice full-thickness skin wounds (0.

Clinical significance of increased gelatinolytic activity in the rectal mucosa during external beam radiation therapy of prostate cancer.

Purpose: Rectal toxicity (proctitis) is a dose-limiting factor in pelvic radiation therapy. Mucosal atrophy, i.e.