Thyroid Function in Women after Multimodal Treatment for Breast Cancer Stage II/III: Comparison With Controls From a Population Sample

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.11.037· OSTI ID:21362212

Cvancarova, Milada ^[1]; Wist, Erik ^[2]; Bjoro, Trine ^[3]; Dahl, Alv A ^[1]; Danielsen, Turi ^[4]; Fossa, Sophie D ^[1]

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1. Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, 0310 Oslo (Norway)
2. Cancer Center, Ulleval University Hospital, Oslo (Norway)
3. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, 0027 Oslo (Norway)
4. Department of Medical Physics, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, 0310 Oslo (Norway)

Purpose: A possible association between thyroid diseases (TD) and breast cancer (BC) has been debated. We examined prevalence and development of TD in women after multimodal treatment for Stage II/III BC compared with women from a general population. Secondarily, we explored the impact of two different radiotherapy (RT) techniques (standardized field arrangements vs. computed tomography [CT]-based dose planning) on TD in BC patients examined 35-120 months after primary BC treatment. Methods and Materials: A total of 403 BC patients completed a questionnaire about TD and had blood samples taken for analyses of thyroid function. All had undergone postoperative RT with or without (2%) adjuvant systemic treatment. The results in the BC patients were compared with a cancer-free, age-matched control group from a general population (CGr). Results: There was higher prevalence of self-reported hypothyroidism in the BC patients as compared with the CGr (18% vs. 6%, p < 0.001). The raised prevalence was predominantly due to a substantial increase in the development of hypothyroidism after BC diagnosis, whereas the prevalence of hypothyroidism before BC diagnosis was similar to that observed in the CGr. Patients treated with CT-based RT showed a trend for increased post-BC development of hypothyroidism as compared with those treated with standardized field arrangements (p = 0.08). Conclusions: Hypothyroidism is significantly increased in women after multimodal treatment for Stage II/III BC. Radiation to the thyroid gland may be a contributing factor. BC patients should be routinely screened for hypothyroidism.

• OSTI ID: 21362212
• Journal Information: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Vol. 75, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.11.037; PII: S0360-3016(08)03860-1; Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0360-3016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
HYPOTHYROIDISM
MAMMARY GLANDS
NEOPLASMS
RADIOTHERAPY
THYROID
WOMEN
ANIMALS
BODY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ENDOCRINE DISEASES
ENDOCRINE GLANDS
FEMALES
GLANDS
MAMMALS
MAN
MEDICINE
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PRIMATES
RADIOLOGY
THERAPY
TOMOGRAPHY
VERTEBRATES