Prospective Analysis of Carotid Flow in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Supraclavicular Irradiation Eight or More Years Prior to Study: No Increase in Ipsilateral Carotid Stenosis after Radiation

Purpose/Objective: Overview studies, which found that early radiation trials increased death from cardiovascular injuries, included both heart-related death and strokes from carotid disease as events. While substantial changes in chest wall irradiation treatment techniques for breast cancer have reduced the risk of radiation-related cardiac toxicity, supraclavicular radiation techniques, and therefore the dose delivered to the carotid, have not significantly changed over time. Because effects of supraclavicular radiation on the carotid are poorly understood, we performed a prospective study to examine the long-term risk of carotid stenosis after supraclavicular irradiation for breast cancer.