A study from researchers at University of Cambridge in England found people with breast cancer are more likely to develop a second cancer in their lifetime.
Previous studies suggested the risk of developing a non-breast second primary cancer was 24% for women and 27% for men, according to a university news release. However, the recent study found the risk can be greater depending on the type of cancer.
The study, published April 25 in Lancet Regional Health-Europe, used the National Cancer Registration Dataset to analyze data from more than 580,000 women and more than 3,500 men who survived breast cancer and were diagnosed between 1995 and 2019 in the U.K.
Here are six findings:
- Women who survived breast cancer had double the risk of contralateral breast cancer as the general population, and they were at 87% greater risk of endometrial cancer, 58% higher risk of myeloid leukemia and 25% greater risk of ovarian cancer.
- Women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 were 86% more likely to develop a second primary cancer, whereas women diagnosed after age 50 had a 17% increased risk.
- Women from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were at a 35% higher risk of second primary cancer compared to those from less deprived backgrounds. The difference was driven by non-breast cancer risks, particularly for lung, kidney, head and neck, bladder, esophageal and stomach cancers.
- Male breast cancer survivors were 55 times more likely to develop contralateral breast cancer compared to the general male population.
- Male breast cancer survivors were 58% more likely to develop prostate cancer.
- About 3 in every 100 men diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or older developed contralateral breast cancer during a 25-year period.