Researchers say women, especially those under age 50, who have had breast cancer have a higher risk of developing a secondary cancer.
- Having had breast cancer increases women’s as
well as men’s risk of a second cancer later by around 25%, according to
research.
- In addition, a new study reports that female
survivors of breast cancer are 87% more likely to develop endometrial
cancer than their peers while male survivors are 62% more likely to
develop pancreatic cancer.
- The age of cancer diagnosis appears to affect
second cancer risk, especially for women, as does economic status.
Having breast cancer increases
the risk of certain secondary cancers later in life by a significant margin,
according to a new
In it, researchers from the University of Cambridge in
England report that women with a history of breast cancer had an 87% higher
risk of endometrial cancer, a 58% higher risk of myeloid
leukemia, a 25% higher risk of ovarian
cancer, and an 18% higher risk of pancreatic
cancer.
Male survivors of breast cancer had a 62% higher risk
of pancreatic cancer, a 31% higher risk of myeloid leukemia, and a 17% higher
risk of colorectal cancer than their peers who
hadn’t had cancer.
Male breast cancer is rare,
with male survivors making up just 3,562 of the study cohort compared to
581,403 female cancer survivors in the study period between 1995 and 2019.
In the past, researchers have
Secondary
cancers after breast cancer
“It’s not always known
why some cancer survivors develop a secondary unrelated cancer,” said Dr. Luke Chen,
a medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope Orange County in
California who was not involved in the study.
“We do know that radiation therapy for one form of
cancer can put some people at higher risk for developing a second cancer, such
as several types of leukemia,” Chen told Medical News Today. “Certain kinds of chemotherapy
have also been linked with second cancers such as myelodysplastic
syndrome, acute myelogenous leukemia, and acute lymphocytic leukemia.”
The new study also found differences in second cancer
risk relative to the age someone had cancer the first time. For instance, women
diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 were 86% more likely to develop a
second primary cancer compared to their peers, whereas those diagnosed with
breast cancer after age 50 only had a 17% increased risk of a second primary
cancer.
This could be because younger female breast cancer
cases are more likely to occur in women genetically
predisposed to be at higher risk, the study authors stated.
“Secondary malignancies in cancer are unfortunately
not a new discovery,” said Dr. Daniel Landau, a hematologist/oncologist
and expert contributor for The Mesothelioma Center who wasn’t involved in the
study.
“Many cancers are known to have associations with
other cancers later on,” Landau explained to Medical News Today. “Breast cancer is one of these
cancers. This could occur for a number of different reasons. Many cancers have
a genetic link to them. For instance, people who have BRCA mutations
are prone to breast cancer. But that same gene always raises the risk of other
cancers such as ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.”
Experts said the new study was high quality, although
further research will be necessary to confirm the findings.
“This particular study is a retrospective analysis
where large amounts of data are examined. These studies are great for looking
for associations and trends, but in order to more directly prove an
association, we often favor prospective studies,” Landau said. “Instead of
looking backward, we take patients and follow them forward so we can study what
happens over time. Still, given how many patients were included in the study,
we do believe the association exists.”
Socioeconomic factors and
secondary cancer risk
The researchers also
found an increased risk of second cancer among breast cancer survivors can
depend on socioeconomic factors.
The most socioeconomically deprived quintile in the
study had a 35% higher risk of second primary cancer than the least socioeconomically
deprived, the researchers reported.
“The study’s finding linking socioeconomic factors to
a higher risk of cancer recurrence is concerning but not surprising,” Chen
said. “Lack of access to breast cancer resources is an all too common occurrence
in underserved communities, including those in the United States… As a cancer
specialist, I view advocacy for equitable access to lifesaving breast cancer
screenings, treatment, and education as an important part of my job.”
The United Kingdom has a universal healthcare system that increases
access, but there, like in the United States, socioeconomic status is often
also an indicator of a higher prevalence of lifestyle factors that could lead
to greater cancer risk, such as smoking cigarettes and obesity.
“The lifestyle factors known to contribute to
decreasing a person’s risk of developing a first cancer also apply to
decreasing the risk of a secondary cancer,” Chen said. “This includes
maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol,
eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly.”
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