Guidelines for Complications of Cancer Treatment Vol VIII Part B

patients treated using the original mantle field technique, withthe treatment delivered over a longer period of time usingsmaller radiation fractions, and was 0% - 2.5% among pediatricpatients treated using an equally weighted anterior-posteriormantle technique. The frequency of radiation relatedpericarditis was correlated with the total pericardial radiationdose.Relationship between radiation pericarditis and wholepericardium RT doseDose in cGy3000Pericardial 198 42 123 14Irradiation(No. ofpatients)Pericarditis 14(7.1%) 5(11.9%) 3(18.7%) 7(50%)Pericarditis 3(1.5%) 4(9.5%) 8(6.5%) 5(35.7%)requiringtreatmentThe risk of pericarditis rose steeply above doses of 40Gy whensubcarinal block was not used. It was clearly seen in thesestudies that the incidence of pericarditis was dependent onthe volume of heart irradiated and the total dose of irradiationreceived. Among patients treated at Stanford, the risk of deathfrom cardiac diseases other than acute myocardial infarctionhave reduced significantly after the use of subcarinal blockand radiation doses of 30Gy or less.Byhardt et al., confirmed the increased risk of pericardialdamage associated with the use of an anteriorly weightedmantle field. Twenty-four of 83 patients (28.9%) who receivedthis treatment developed radiographic evidence of a pericardial303