DISCUSSION
Radiotherapy to the neck is believed to predispose to atherosclerosis
(Carpenter et al. 1996). The progression of the
atherosclerotic process may be due to a long history of
cervical irradiation (>6 years) and to the total dose of
radiation administered. This may be true of cancer of the
head and neck, but we do not know whether it also applies
to lymphoma or not, on which there are contrasting opinions
and only indirect reports. The arterial calcification
visible by computed tomography scans has an important
role, but it does not measure the extent and size of plaques,
and it cannot predict an alteration of the endothelial wall
and an increase of IMT, which are markers of early atherosclerosis
(Telmelkova-Kurktscjiev et al. 2001).