Radiation and Second Cancers
Posted 4/5/2011
Posted in
This is a reassuring article from Health Day about a recently published study in Lancet. The evidence is strong that the benefits of radiation outweigh the potential of causing a second cancer. Frankly, this has always been a lesser concern for breast radiation than for treatment that targets a larger area of the body. But, here it is, the introduction and then a link:
Likelihood that radiotherapy will cause another tumor is low, researchers say
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- The odds a second cancer will develop after radiation treatment for a first cancer are relatively low, U.S. National Cancer Institute researchers report.
In a long-term study of more than 600,000 cancer survivors, an estimated 8 percent of second cancers were attributable to radiation treatment for the original cancer, according to the study.
The results suggest that other factors, such as lifestyle risks and genetics, cause the majority of second cancers, the researchers say.
http://tinyurl.com/3ovsmxm
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