Pentoxifylline and Radiation-Induced Heart Disease

Patients who receive radiotherapy for tumors in the chest may experience radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD). This late and potentially severe side effect of radiotherapy can occur if all or part of the heart lies in the radiation field. Patients particularly at risk include breast cancer patients previously treated with radiotherapy, lung cancer patients, lymphoma patients, and patients with esophageal cancer. RIHD presents clinically several years after the heart has been exposed to radiation. Manifestations of RIHD include accelerated atherosclerosis in coronary arteries and myocardial fibrosis. These symptoms become worse over time and are not naturally resolved. RIHD continues to increase in occurrence partly because of the rapid increase in the numbers of long-term cancer survivors. No current method can prevent or reverse RIHD. Research is therefore urgently needed to develop interventions that can reduce this side effect of radiotherapy to the chest.