Off-Target Effects of Breast Cancer Adjuvant Radiation Therapy on Thymus Function in Young Women
Breast cancer treatment sometimes includes radiation to the breast or chest wall. There is a small gland, called the thymus, located in the upper chest that may receive a small amount of the radiation aimed at the breast. The goal of this study is to collect blood samples from young women with breast cancer to study the effect of radiation therapy on the thymus gland.
• Women aged 18 to 50 undergoing mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer of any subtype at DUMC and associated satellite centers
• Histologic documentation of breast cancer based on pathology
• Systemic therapies including hormone therapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy as given for breast cancer treatment at the discretion of the treating medical oncologist are allowed and use of such therapies will be documented and included as a covariate
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent