Cancer Mortality Following Cardiac Catheterization: A Preliminary Follow-up Study on 4,891 Irradiated Children

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A retrospective cohort study was conducted on the risk of radiation-induced cancer mortality following cardiac catheterization. Children (4891) with congenital heart disease who were assessed by cardiac catheterization during 1946-1968 were studied. The cohort was matched against the Ontario cancer death file from 1950 to 1975. The average period of follow-up was 13 yr and more than 66,000 person-years were accrued from the cohort. No deaths from breast cancer or thyroid cancer were identified. Five cancer deaths were observed and compared with 4.8 expected deaths based on Ontario cancer death rates. The 5 cancer deaths resulted from 3 leukemias, 1 Wilms'' tumor and 1 unspecified nervous system tumor. The preliminary findings did not demonstrate a significant leukemia risk arising from diagnostic cardiac catheterizations. Continued follow-up of this cohort is required to evaluate the risk of breast and thyroid cancers which can occur more than 20 yr following radiation exposure.