Beat one cancer, risk up for another type

A new resource provides data showing that the chances for a subsequent malignancy among survivors vary by type of first cancer and age of diagnosis.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Feb. 19, 2007.

Washington -- The good news about cancer survivors is that their numbers continue to grow. The bad news is that they have an increased risk of developing a second malignancy.

The National Cancer Institute analyzed data from 2 million survivors and placed this risk at 14% higher than would be expected in the general population.

Five-year cancer survival rates have been climbing steadily over the last few decades. Among adults, the rates have risen from about 50% 30 years ago to 66% in 2002, according to recent studies. The survival rates are even better for children, increasing from 61% to 79% during that same period.

In its new report, "New Malignancies Among Cancer Survivors: SEER Cancer Registries, 1973-2000," NCI researchers examined data gathered during those 27 years and determined the risks of subsequent malignancies for more than 50 adult and 18 childhood cancers. The publication is the first comprehensive analysis of the risk of developing a new malignancy, said Rochelle Curtis, a research statistician in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. She spoke Jan. 24 at an NCI briefing.

The report is intended to be a resource for doctors and other health care professionals and policymakers. "The burden of subsequent cancers is not borne equally among all cancer survivors," Curtis said. Identifying those at elevated risk can help physicians and patients develop strategies for early detection and prevention, as well as encourage changes in high-risk behaviors, she said.