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Cardiac conduction system as a new organ at risk in radiotherapy.

M DomanskýJ Kubeš
Published in: Klinicka onkologie : casopis Ceske a Slovenske onkologicke spolecnosti (2024)
Radiotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity significantly affects morbidity and mortality. The heart exhibits heterogeneity in terms of radiosensitivity. Certain cardiac subregions in the dose distribution show a higher correlation with poorer overall survival than routinely monitored doses to the whole heart and derived parameters (the volumes irradiated with the doses of 5 or 30 Gy - V5 or V30, respectively). The most radiosensitive subregions appear to be the base of the heart, including the beginning of the conduction system. Higher doses to the conduction system, especially the sinoatrial (SA) node, are associated with a higher incidence of a wide range of arrhythmias and poorer overall survival. However, dose limits (Dmean and Dmax) for the conduction system have not yet been established. Dosimetric studies have identified cutoff doses to the SA node, exceeding which there is a significant increase in mortality and the occurrence of arrhythmias.
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