The relevance of cardiac toxicity in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer

Each year, approximately 3,000 new patients are diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the Netherlands. About 60% of these patients have potentially curable disease and undergo radiotherapy as part of their treatment. Over the past decade, chances of cure have increased, but the potential development of radiation-related toxicity remains a concern.
This dissertation describes several chapters on the occurrence of various forms of cardiac toxicity before, during, and after radiotherapy in so-called "survivors" following treatment. Both retrospective analyses and two prospective studies were conducted for this purpose.
In all chapters, a link was sought between radiation dose parameters and different forms of cardiac toxicity, both clinically (cardiac complications) and subclinically (measured via imaging and/or laboratory tests). The ultimate goal is to gather knowledge to make well-informed decisions in the future when designing and evaluating radiation plans for patients with esophageal cancer.