Radiation-induced breast changes
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Bruno Di Muzio had no recorded disclosures.
View Bruno Di Muzio's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Arlene Campos had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Arlene Campos's current disclosures- Radiation-induced breast complications
- Breast irradiation
- Post-radiation breast changes
- Breast radiation therapy changes
- Radiation therapy-induced breast changes
Radiation-induced breast changes are a consequence of radiation therapy toxicity over the breast tissues either related to targeted breast cancer treatment or other thoracic malignancies (eg. lung cancer).
On this page:
Radiographic features
The radiation-induced breast changes may be seen in either dedicated breast imaging or CT chest performed for follow-up of other thoracic malignancies.
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commonly seen within 6 months of the completion date
slowly resolve until a certain point where a fibrotic thickening may persist
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diffuse trabecular thickening representing engorged lymphatics
focal skin retraction
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glandular atrophy
asymmetry of the glandular parenchyma noted when compared to contralateral breast
decreased breast size
Treatment and complications
Radiation-induced breast malignancy is rare 1-3 and possible induced tumors include:
Differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis is mainly considered in those patients treating breast cancer, as it may be difficult to distinguish the above-mentioned breast changes from:
local breast recurrence
breast infection
References
- 1. Yi A, Kim HH, Shin HJ, Huh MO, Ahn SD, Seo BK. Radiation-induced complications after breast cancer radiation therapy: a pictorial review of multimodality imaging findings. (2009) Korean journal of radiology. 10 (5): 496-507. doi:10.3348/kjr.2009.10.5.496 - Pubmed
- 2. Zeynep N. Yilmaz, Colleen H. Neal, Mitra Noroozian, Katherine A. Klein, Baskaran Sundaram, Ella A. Kazerooni, Jadranka Stojanovska. Imaging of Breast Cancer–Related Changes After Nonsurgical Therapy. (2014) American Journal of Roentgenology. 202 (3): 675-83. doi:10.2214/AJR.13.11518 - Pubmed
- 3. Marcelo F. Benveniste, Daniel Gomez, Brett W. Carter, Sonia L. Betancourt Cuellar, Girish S. Shroff, Ana Paula A. Benveniste, Erika G. Odisio, Edith M. Marom. Recognizing Radiation Therapy–related Complications in the Chest. (2019) RadioGraphics. 39 (2): 344-366. doi:10.1148/rg.2019180061 - Pubmed
- 4. Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Gary J. Whitman, Carol B. Stelling, Anne C. Kushwaha. Mammographic Findings after Breast Conservation Therapy1. (1999) RadioGraphics. 19 Spec No: S53-62; quiz S262-3. doi:10.1148/radiographics.19.suppl_1.g99oc16s53 - Pubmed
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