Cancer in the contralateral breast after radiotherapy for breast cancer
Article Abstract:
Breast cancer patients less than 45 years-of-age who receive radiotherapy for cancer in one breast may have a higher risk of developing cancer in the other breast than those who do not receive radiotherapy. A study of 655 women who developed a second breast cancer five or more years after their first cancer found that approximately 23% had received radiotherapy. Out of 1,189 breast cancer patients who did not develop a second breast cancer, 20% received radiotherapy. Among women under 45 years-of-age at the time of treatment, the risk of developing a second cancer was significantly higher in those who received radiotherapy than those who received other types of treatment. Women older than 45 years at the time of treatment who received radiotherapy did not have an increased risk of developing a second cancer compared to those who did not receive radiotherapy. Women with breast cancer have three times the risk of developing a second cancer compared to healthy women, regardless of whether or not they receive radiotherapy.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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Cancer in the parents of children with cancer
Article Abstract:
A parent who has a child with cancer appears to have no greater risk of cancer than other adults in the general population. Researchers studied cancer registry data of 11,380 parents of children with cancer in Denmark from 1943 to 1985. A total of 1,445 cancers were diagnosed in the parents, however, 1,496 cancers would be expected from national incidence rates. Childhood soft-tissue sarcomas and bone cancers, which in other studies have been associated with an increased risk for parents, were not linked to a greater risk in this study. Among 1,135 parents of children with these kind of cancers, 177 cancers were reported, compared to an expected 188.3 cancers. There was a notable excess of breast cancer cases among mothers under the age of 45 who had children with cancer diagnosed under the age of 3. The 10 extra cases represent 22% of the 45 breast cancer cases diagnosed in mothers under the age of 45.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1995
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Risk of leukemia after chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer
Article Abstract:
Women with advanced breast cancer who are treated with chemotherapy and radiation may have an increased risk of developing leukemia. Of 82,700 breast cancer patients followed in two states and three large cities, 90 developed leukemia within an average of five years after diagnosis. More than half had been treated with an alkylating agent compared to only 19% of a control group of women who did not develop leukemia after treatment for breast cancer. Forty-two percent of the leukemic patients had received high-dose radiation treatment compared to 27% of the controls. Higher doses of drugs and radiation and longer treatment were associated with a higher risk of leukemia. Women treated with the drug melphalan were thirty times more likely to develop leukemia. Most drugs are now given at lower dosages and for shorter periods of time.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1992
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