Cerebrovascular Events After Head and Neck Radiation Therapy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies demonstrates that head and neck cancer patients receiving radiation therapy have a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke (8.98 per 1,000 person-years) and carotid stenosis compared to surgical or non-treated populations. The relative risk of stroke is approximately 1.3 times higher in irradiated patients, with carotid stenosis incidence ranging from 0-40% depending on follow-up duration.