Radiation therapy for breast cancer can expose the heart valves to stray radiation dose. This study investigates whether radiation dose to individual cardiac valves during breast cancer radiotherapy contributes to the development of valvular heart disease (VHD). Moving beyond whole-heart dose metrics, we reconstruct treatment plans to assess valve-specific radiation exposure. Our goal is to understand cardiac valve dose-response relationships and identify critical dose thresholds to improve late cardiovascular outcomes in the large and growing population of breast cancer survivors.
