Heart valve injury due to radiation therapy

Relevance. Radiation therapy (RT) plays an important role in oncology, improving the immediate and long-term results of treatment of a number of tumors. One of the most significant complications of RT are lesions of the heart valves.

Objective. To study the variants of valve damage that occur in patients who received radiation therapy for cancer.

Patients and methods. A group of patients who, during the period from 1978 to 2002, underwent chemo-radiation therapy (CRT) for Hodgkin's lymphoma (LH) of 2–4 stages with damage to the intrathoracic lymph nodes: 71 patients, 60 of whom did not go to the cardiologist and were invited to be examined, 11 were hospitalized due to clinically significant cardiovascular pathology (CHF, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, valvular defect, AV block). The study methods included: standard clinical and laboratory examination, spirometry, 24‑hour ECG monitoring, echocardiography, in some patients single-photon myocardial emission tomoscintigraphy (SPECT), and CT scan of the chest organs. In 60 patients, a stress test on an ECG-controlled treadmill was performed, in 18 patients – a maximum stress test on a treadmill with a gas analysis – ergospirometry.

Results and discussion. Valve pathology was detected in 49.3 % of cases, most often (in 46.5 %) mitral regurgitation (MR) occurred, primarily due to MR of the 1 st degree, which had no clinical significance. Pathology of the aortic valve (12.7 % of patients) was represented mainly by mild regurgitation (11.3 %). Aortic stenosis was diagnosed in 4.2 % of patients. In the studied cohort of patients, predominantly non-severe valve lesions were detected. In addition, examples of patients with clinically significant valve valvular lesions are presented.

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