A new report by the New England Journal of Medicine suggests breast cancer radiation may increase a person's risk for long-term heart complications.
Each year, more than 211,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. More than 2,100 women were studied and 963 had a "major cardiac event" within 5 years of treatment.
Dr. Meri Atanas is Chief of Radiation Oncology at Rochester General Health System. She explains to WXXI why she still encourages women to consider radiation as a treatment option despite the study's findings.