Reversible Ischemia-Like Electrocardiographical Changes After Adjuvant Radiotherapy To The Left Chest Wall In A Diabetic Breast Cancer Patient (A Case Report)

Year 2000, Volume: 1 Issue: 3, 31 - 33, 01.12.2000

Sabri Barutça Uğur Yılmaz İlknur Birkay Görken İşıl Kundak Yıldırım Seyithanoğlu

Abstract

Ischemia-like electrocardiographical changes were observed in a diabetic case who had received adjuvant radiotherapy to the left chest wall after mastectomy. The skin on the radiotherapy field was erythemateus, hyperemic and tender on palpation, and the patient did not have chest pain. The possibility of an atypical presentation of cardiac disease in a diabetic woman was investigated and cardiac ischemia was excluded by coronary angiography. Ischemia-like electrocardiographical changes have been observed after burns of the chest wall. In this case also, the etiology was thought to be related with the burn effect of the radiotherapy on the chest wall. Although the late cardiac effects of the radiotherapy on the left chest wall were reported in the literature, the early and reversible effects were not sufficiently studied. We started a prospective study in our clinic to evaluate the early electrocardiographical changes after radiotherapy.

Keywords

Breast cancer, radiotherapy, burn, toxic effects, cardiotoxicity, electrocardiography, coronary arterydisease

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