Cardiotoxicity associated with radiotherapy in breast cancer: A question-based review with current literatures

Radiotherapy is an indispensable unit of multidisciplinary treatment of breast cancer. Although the application of modern techniques has led to a significantly reduction in radiation-induced heart disease, it is still recognized as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among breast cancer survivors. With the growing number of long-term survivors, it is important to understand the cardiovascular risks associated with radiotherapy. Questions exist regarding the existence or not of a safe radiation threshold dose that the heart (or its substructures) can receive and strategies to minimize risk of radiation. This paper aims to review the current understanding of radiation-induced cardiotoxicity and try to give answers to those unsettled issues based on current literatures.