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Lung cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment may be at higher risk of developing pulmonary hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries that carry blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs. Over time, that heightened pressure can lead to right-sided heart failure.

The study evaluated how exposure of the heart and lungs to radiation—such as during treatment for lung cancer—contributes to the development of pulmonary hypertension. The research was published in Thorax and led by investigators from Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University.

"Our findings represent the first clinical evidence linking cardiopulmonary radiation dose to pulmonary hypertension in humans," said Katelyn Atkins, M.D., Ph.D., interim chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai and corresponding author of the study. "We found that pulmonary hypertension was associated with radiation dose to the pulmonary artery, but not other areas of the heart or lungs."

Investigators looked at data on patients from Cedars-Sinai, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute receiving radiation therapy to the chest for lung cancer.

The study found that 12% of these patients experienced pulmonary hypertension, which can cause heart strain and shortness of breath.

Atkins said these findings highlight pulmonary hypertension as a potentially underrecognized outcome after cardiopulmonary radiation therapy and that they support the need for increased awareness, new guidelines for assessing at-risk patients and further study.

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