SynthesisJournal of radiation research2026
Attributable fraction of cardiac disease following radiotherapy among breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of radiation research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Radiotherapy (RT) is an integral component of cancer treatment; however, it can expose surrounding healthy tissues, including the heart, to ionizing radiation. This study aimed to evaluate the dose-response relationship between mean heart dose (MHD) and cardiac disease and to estimate the attributable burden among breast cancer survivors. PubMed and Embase were searched from inception to 31 January 2026 for studies reporting relative risks (RRs) per gray (Gy). A random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool dose-response estimates. The attributable fraction (AF) and population attributable fraction (PAF) were estimated using pooled dose-response coefficients and representative MHD values. Thirteen studies involving 16 446 breast cancer survivors were included. The pooled RR per Gy increase in MHD was 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.13), with no significant differences across treatment periods. At a representative MHD of 3.39 Gy, the AF among irradiated patients was estimated at 24.3%, indicating that one-quarter of cardiac events may be attributable to radiation exposure to the heart. Assuming a RT utilization of 52.7%, the corresponding PAF among breast cancer survivors was 14.4%. Although MHD decreased from 7.03 Gy before 2000 to 2.57 Gy thereafter, the AF declined from 38.9 to 21.6%. Over the same periods, despite a modest increase in RT utilization (51.1-55.3%), the PAF decreased from 24.5 to 13.2%. Despite these reductions, a measurable burden of cardiac disease remains attributable to radiation, underscoring the importance of minimizing cardiac dose among breast cancer survivors.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42765659What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.