Radiation for breast cancer may raise risk of heart disease

A study conducted at Columbia University Medical Center in New York indicates that radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer, particularly on the left breast carries a small risk of heart disease during the patients' lifetime. While the this risk rate fluctuates between 0.05-3.5%, lead researcher David Brenner, professor of radiation biophysics at Columbia states that while all cancer therapies involve benefits and risks, the side effects need "to be balanced against the fact that lumpectomy plus radiation is of well-proven efficacy for treating early stage breast cancer." To read more about this study, click here.