Pulmonary artery radiation dose tied to hypertension risk after lung cancer therapy
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai and collaborating centers examined patients who received chest radiation for lung cancer and found that 12% developed pulmonary hypertension, a condition that can strain the right side of the heart. The likelihood was linked to the radiation dose delivered to the pulmonary artery rather than to other parts of the heart or lungs. The team describes this as the first clinical evidence connecting cardiopulmonary radiation dose to pulmonary hypertension in people.
The study drew on records from patients treated with chest radiation for lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Among them, 12% later developed pulmonary hypertension, a high-blood-pressure condition affecting the arteries between the heart and lungs that can strain the right side of the heart.
Researchers reported that the risk rose with the amount of radiation delivered to the pulmonary artery, not with dose to other heart or lung regions. Published in Thorax, the work is described as the first human clinical evidence tying cardiopulmonary radiation exposure to pulmonary hypertension, suggesting it may be an underrecognized treatment outcome.
This finding may affect lung cancer survivors and their clinicians by prompting closer heart-lung monitoring after chest radiation. If confirmed, dose-aware planning could reduce later pulmonary hypertension and right-heart strain, potentially improving quality of life. It could also inform survivorship guidelines and patient conversations, though benefits depend on validation and practical screening access.