Radiotherapy in breast cancer patients has been observed to suppress circulating CD34(+) cells by 15%. - GreenMedInfo Summary
The effect of local breast radiotherapy on circulating CD34(+) cells.
Radiother Oncol. 2011 Aug ;100(2):304-7. Epub 2011 Feb 11. PMID: 21316784
Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada.
The number of circulating CD34(+) (hematopoietic stem) cells (HSCs) was observed to decline by 15% in breast cancer patients after starting adjuvant radiation therapy, regardless of age or preceding chemotherapy. These data demonstrate that local radiation therapy can profoundly affect HSC homeostasis, which might have a myriad of important implications.