Causes and Diagnosis

Causes of Radiation-Associated Heart Disease

Radiation to the chest can cause radiation-associated heart disease. Radiation treatment is given to destroy rapidly reproducing cancer cells. However, radiation also damages nearby normal cells.

Your risk of getting radiation-associated heart disease depends on:

• How much radiation you get during treatment
• How much of the chest and heart were exposed to radiation

Diagnosis and Testing for Radiation-Associated Heart Disease

If your care team believes you may have radiation-associated heart disease, they will do a physical exam. They will listen to your heart and check your blood pressure.

The specific tests ordered will depend on your symptoms. Your care team may order:

• Blood tests
• Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
• Echocardiogram
• Stress test
• Chest X-ray
• Computed tomography (CT) scan
• Cardiac MRI
• Heart (Holter) monitor
• Heart catheterization
• Heart biopsy