Landmark study describes long-term risk of breast cancer from lymphoma treatment
Scientists have revealed that women who have been treated for Hodgkin lymphoma at young ages have up to a 50 per cent chance of developing breast cancer over the 40 years after treatment.
The study, the world’s largest of its kind, will give this patient group a highly individualised assessment of their risk for the first time.
The ICR scientists, led by Professor Anthony Swerdlow, looked at 5,000 British women over a 50 year period. They found a five-fold increased risk of breast cancer for young women who received radiotherapy to their chest as a treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. The highest risks found in this group were comparable to those in women who have a faulty BRCA gene.
Although it was known that these patients had an increased breast cancer risk, this new research shows how the risk varies depending on the age of treatment, the type of treatment and time since treatment. The study showed that women who had radiotherapy treatment to their chest at ages 10-14 were at the highest risk of developing the disease. Their risk was 22 times higher than that in the general population of the same age. Risks remained raised for at least 40 years, with women continuing to have raised risks of developing breast cancer when in their 50s and 60s.
This research has important implications for this patient group. The new data mean that doctors can confidently give advice on a patient’s chance of getting breast cancer and therefore make them aware of possible preventative measures.
