ECCO 2017 | Radiotherapy for breast cancer increases risk of cardiovascular disease

Gabe Sonke, MD, PhD, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands, discusses his research on the late side effects of breast cancer treatment presented at the European Cancer Congress of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. By combining information from different patient databases, as well as information from the patients’ healthcare practitioners, Dr Sonke explains how his research has shown that radiotherapy for breast cancer also affects the heart and increases the risk of myocardial infarction later in life. He points out that this needs to be considered when discussing risks with patients, and should also be taken into account by healthcare practitioners outside the oncology field.