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Increased risk of second cancers following breast cancer: Role of the initial treatment

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Abstract

Objectives and methods.The risk of second primary malignancies (SMN) was studied in a cohort of 4,416 one-year survivors of a breast cancer. The role of the menopausal status and of the initial treatment modalities (surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy) was investigated.

Results.Excluding second primary breast cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer, a total of 193 (4.4%) patients developed a SMN between 1973 and 1992, compared with 136 expected (Standardised Incidence Ratio, SIR = 1.4, 95% CI (1.2–1.6)). No trend towards either an increase or a decrease was noted in the SIR with time after treatment (p = 0.2). The greatest increase in the relative risk concerned soft tissue cancers (SIR = 13.0, 95% CI: 6.8–22.3), followed by leukaemia (SIR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.7–5.0), melanoma (SIR  =  2.7, 95% CI: 1.4–4.8), kidney (SIR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.2–4.5), ovary (SIR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2–3.1) and uterine tumours (SIR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4–2.5). The SIR was 3.0 (95% CI 1.8–4.7) in women under 40 at the time of the breast cancer, 1.9 (95% CI : 1.4 – 2.4) in those aged 40–49 and 1.2 (95% CI 1.0–1.4) in those aged 50 or more. In the 2,514 women who had received radiotherapy as initial treatment without chemotherapy, the SIR for all SMN was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.1–2.3) fold higher than in those who had not received radiotherapy as initial treatment.

Conclusion.In conclusion, this study confirms the increased risk of second malignancies in women treated for a breast cancer, and particularly in those who were younger at the time of treatment for breast cancer. Our results also suggest that radiotherapy may play a role in the onset of these second lesions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Gustave Roussy, Unité de Recherche en Epidemiologie des Cancers de l'Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (U521 INSERM), Villejuif, France

    Carole Rubino, Florent de Vathaire, Ibrahima Diallo, Akhtar Shamsaldin & Monique G Lê

  2. Service de Physique, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France

    Ibrahima Diallo & Akhtar Shamsaldin

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  1. Carole Rubino
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  2. Florent de Vathaire
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  3. Ibrahima Diallo
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  4. Akhtar Shamsaldin
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  5. Monique G Lê
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Rubino, C., de Vathaire, F., Diallo, I. et al. Increased risk of second cancers following breast cancer: Role of the initial treatment. Breast Cancer Res Treat 61, 183–195 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006489918700

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